Dark Child
by DarkKnightCessi
Summary: How sad that the sixth child was allowed to slip into the gloom. How shameful it was that no one saved him. When the light child meets his opposite, when he sees the boy's wickedness, will he abandon him as well?
1. Fettered

**Author's notes**

**A few things**: The first chapters will be from Lowemon's perspective, but later on the story will mostly be told by Kouichi. And Kouji will be in it, but it will be a while before he's in consistently.

**The story...** I'm sticking with the bare bones of the official story, but I've taken many creative liberties; some things will be unlike what they were in the show. I'll try to address my changes in the author's notes of a chapter if it seems necessary.

This story takes place three years and so many months before the kids are brought to the Digital World. Kouichi's seven when he takes over narration duties from Lowemon. Also for this story's sake, time moves much faster in the Digital World than in ours; keep that in mind for later on.

One more thing that's not too terribly important. Lowemon doesn't wear his 'lionesque' armor too much in my story. And Lobomon's is a bit different than it was in the show as well. It was just the way I'd pictured them in my mind. If I can come up with a decent drawing of the two, I'll post them on my deviantart account.

And forgive me, I haven't seen the full show in years, so if I mess up digimon/town names or the mythos of Frontier's universe, sorry.

I don't own Digimon. (Oh, and I really hope you enjoy my little story.)

* * *

><p>He mustn't reach him. I dashed past Lord Cherubimon's flank in an attempt to lead him away.<p>

"Ophanimon didn't hide him so well this time did she?" His voice boomed. She really didn't. Hiding him on the Dark Continent, and so close to our mansion in the Dark Woods; it was as if she wanted him to be found. Or me to be caught...

He was closer than he'd ever been before and I was trying to direct him away, as I had done many times in the past, but he'd grown smart to my trick and was moving opposite of me and toward my brother Lobomon's spirit.

I darted back and halted in front of him. "No, Lord Cherubimon. I say no." He only laughed.

"No?" He chuckled. "Come be my servant and I'll leave Lobomon be." He said.

"Conquer me, deal with me if you can; leave brother out of this." Lord Cherubimon settled back on his haunches and grinned.

"Lowemon," He started, with a tone a frustrated parent would use with his misbehaving child. "Why would I do that, when I have you stuck fast in a corner? You've no options left; come with me or I'll take Lobomon." I growled, so angry my body trembled. He chuckled. "That's right. Be angry; hate me. Those feelings make you stronger, Warrior of Darkness."

"Yes, I'll go and you'll take my brother's spirit anyway." He snorted at my condescending tone.

"I promise I won't." His lips curled into a sneer exposing more of his sharp teeth.

"As if you'd hold true to that." He stepped over me and started towards Lobomon's spirit.

"No, wait..." He paused, staring at me. One of my ears flicked in agitation. "Yes..." I muttered.

"What? What was that I heard?"

"Yes." I barked at him.

"Good, good. We're going to have fun together." He held up his hands and teleported us back to his castle under the Rose Morning Star.

"I highly doubt that." I snarled, following him to his inner chamber. My tail thrashed back and forth angrily; its golden fur puffed out in all directions.

"I have thought of an idea for your use." He commented. I grumbled. I sensed a presence from above a glanced up.

"How do you like my new decoration?"

"It's gaudy. Just a big ball of light." I answered. He laughed.

I glanced around, trying to appear indifferent. "It's been awhile since I was last here. You haven't really done anything different." I took the chance to look how he'd changed, I could never before, I was too concerned with protecting Lobomon, but now I could see. His face that had once been kindly and wise was hostile. His whole presence was malevolent and aggressive.

"Hello Lowemon." A soft voice addressed me from above.

"Lady Ophanimon. You okay?"

"Yes."

"This is your fault, you know. You told my brother to hide his spirit away like the others. Had you not, he would have been running with me instead of being a target to defend. He had decided to stay awake like me."

Lady Ophanimon had wanted all of our spirits put to rest and hidden until the children came, the others agreed. They went willingly, trusting her judgment. But I grabbed my brother and ran away. I wanted no part of this. But she found and convinced Lobomon that it was the only way to protect us from Lord Cherubimon.

"There's a reason for all this, Lowemon, I promise you that."

"Sure." I grumbled.

"A happy reunion." Cherubimon snorted. He sat back on his haunches as before and closed his eyes, his grin growing slowly. "I've already won."

"Cherubimon..."

"Lady Ophanimon, don't bother. He's deluded." I injected as much malice into my tone as I could muster. His grin grew wider.

"I'll break you." He whispered. "Even you can be bridled."

I laughed. "You've known me since I was a child milord. Surely you know better."

"Hmm..." He waved his hand and at once we were in his underground dungeon.

He had turned to his rookie form, Lopmon, something he'd do often when he needed to squeeze in a place to tiny for him. The oddest thing though was he still spoke with that deep, gravelly voice. Plus, unluckily for me he had learned how to hold on to his power and mind as Cherubimon.

But he appeared different in this form as well. His lips curled into a wicked snarl. His eyes had a faint glow to them that the dark around us magnified and his colors had turned shadowy.

I stared straight ahead as he floated beside me and directed me to a cell. I walked forward not gracing him with a look. The bars rattled and creaked as he pushed the door to with his mind.

"Ironic isn't it? How many ill-behaved digimon did you and your brother capture and bring here for my safe keeping? Weren't those the golden days, when we worked together for the good of this world?"

"...Back before you went mad? Yes that time was nice." I leaned against the stone wall forcing myself to appear unruffled. "So your plans?"

He chuckled. Good thing he'd always liked my aloof, fractious self; he often said I had an indomitable personality. Otherwise, I could see myself receiving a good thrashing before this was over. "You know the prophesy concerning the human children?"

I nodded, scowling. "You're going to force a child on me?" He laughed.

"No, no. At least not at this point. I know your aversion to humans. Although there is a child in the human world I've been observing. The darkness in his heart grows daily; he would be a perfect partner to you."

I cringed. I loathed thought of a human controlling me. When we were told of the six human children who would take our spirits, fight and bring peace to the digital world I was against it; why we couldn't fight Lucemon again ourselves was beyond me.

"But no, I have other ways I will try first. I want my Dark Warrior now; no one, save Ophanimon, knows when they will arrive. But I sense it won't be for many more years."

"I thought the children were all supposed fight for the good of this world. How are you going to get one to fight for you?"

"The child I've chosen, my trump card if you don't behave, his misery and despair permeates my mind. I can sense him even now." At one time this would have grieved him, but he only smirked. "Give him more time to ferment; when the timing is right, I'll steal him away and work on him myself."

"No one knows the identity of the children." I replied.

"That is true. The spirit chooses its child. Oh, but this one is very promising, and Ophanimon is watching him as well. I've never seen a little one's heart so pained. He's drowning in his anguish. But as I mentioned, this will be a last resort. I have gathered the blackest, most sinister of digimon here. I'll try them one by one to see if any can control you."

"It won't work. I'll destroy them."

"If you don't accept one of the digimon, I'll bring that child here forcibly—"

"I'll never accept any digimon or human." I interrupted.

"Choose on or the other. If you push me, I'll find Lobomon's spirit and destroy it. I won't allow him to be reborn. Consider your options and make the wisest choice Lowemon. We'll start tomorrow." He turned to float away, but gave me one last look. "Don't try to escape; I've fortified these bars and walls. You're not strong enough to break through them."

Was that a hollow threat? Could Lord Cherubimon possibly bring a human to this world without Lady Ophanimon's power? Never had I been so wedged in a problem that I couldn't figure a way out, but now I could neither move forward or back.

Forget the child. Would he actually risk killing Lobomon? My grief would give me so much darkness, maybe not enough to defeat him, but enough to draw on it would make me unmanageable.

I slipped to the floor and absently smoothed the fur on my tail. My choices were to be controlled by another digimon, a less powerful one, no doubt, one that Lord Cherubimon could control. Or I could be exploited by a human. Well there's no way I'd let a commonplace digimon restrain me. A human, a human child... Most young creatures are easy to intimidate. When I'm given to him, I could forcibly take control again. My mind is older, has witnessed more, experienced more; he'd be no more than a baby compared. There's no way he could rein me in as Lord Cherubimon plans.

But Lord Cherubimon had said his grief reached out even to this world. It's true; I can feel it. And suffering can make a person wiser if the experience is used properly, but I don't sense that in this child's case. I feel suffocating hopelessness. Whatever he's going through is still happening.

That's good for me. He'll be weak and fragile the longer his situation creeps on and plus whatever Lord Cherubimon plans to do to him will only wear him down further. When he's brought to me, I can overcome him easily. And it would be following the prophecy of the six children. It isn't essential the child is in control, just that he's here. I could draw from those hurt feelings; they would boost my own strength generously.

But why wouldn't Lord Cherubimon just force him on me in the first place? As much chance I think my plan of escaping could work, there's still a possibility Lord Cherubimon could control both of us. If he could, we would be the strongest of the six 'teams'. I can't see any of the other five children and their spirits being a better match seeing as I can feed off the child's darkness and become as strong as he is dark. And he's already quite dark. Unless, of course, Lobomon receives an ultra-lovey-dovey flower child...

Lobomon is the only other of the Warriors who's strength has the possibility to increase considerably without evolving. His power depends on the light, or goodness in him. Anything positive feeds his strength; as anything negative feeds mine. Love, in particular, gives him his largest boost. The other Warriors use their elements to add a punch to their attacks, but the level their strength can reach is fixed. The only way for them to break away from that limit and become stronger is to evolve to a higher level.

The other four Warriors that Lady Ophanimon hid away... What could the children offer to them? They can't draw from their respective child's light or darkness. And why not bring an adult instead? Human children must be fearsome creatures indeed that Lady Ophanimon would be satisfied bringing them in favor of a group of grown humans.

Is Lord Cherubimon afraid the child would fight back? Could a human resist him? If the boy can hold off Lord Cherubimon, he could with me certainly. I felt a shaking against my legs and looked down; my hands were trembling.

"No, no, no." I growled and hopped up. I walked over and grabbed the bars to lean on them, but received a shock. I staggered back glaring at the bars and rubbed my hands together.

I didn't want to be dominated by a human or any digimon. A rise of horror spread throughout me and after glancing around at the walls, I began to pant violently. I sensed a tremendous attack of claustrophobia looming, so I sat down on the little cot to calm myself by considering my plan further.

So what happens when this giving of spirits takes place? I focused on slowing my breathing. I couldn't even come up with a hypothesis. How do you make two people one? So jumping straight in and taking the human child option might not be the smartest. If I let him experiment on me with those digimon, if I could resist them, I could drain away their powers. I'm sure I could, I didn't sense anyone in the castle stronger than me, besides Lord Cherubimon and Lady Ophanimon.

If I did add their powers to mine, it would prepare me by adding to my strength, but more importantly giving me an idea of how it works. I could use it as practice to overwhelm the child when the time comes.

Once I was satisfied with my plan I laid back to try and sleep. I'd be better off being rested in the morning. It didn't take long; with my exertion and moments of panic from earlier, my exhaustion caught me and I descended in a dreamy stupor.

I awakened feeling disoriented. This place... I was surrounded by a sinister nothingness; a murky, black gloom in every direction. I could feel Lord Cherubimon's influence; he must have brought me here, but for what? I looked behind me, sensing another presence.

"Hi." A small voice addressed me. The boy... He stood off from me, eyes fixed on the ground. He frowned. "You're in my bad dream; I'm usually alone, except when the eyes come." He must mean Lord Cherubimon. He peeked up, but when our eyes met he looked away quickly.

"Lord Cherubimon, this is a nasty thing to do!" I roared. My companion cringed away, frightened.

"I'm sorry." I ignored his whimpering and looked around for an escape. "There's nowhere to go. I've walked all over and it's the same everywhere."

I faced him. He fidgeted again. He ventured a glance at me.

"You have ears and a tail like a dog." He smiled shyly.

"As do most of my family." I shot back. His smile dissipated.

"I didn't mean... I really like them. I wish I had ears and a tail too." I glared at him. His face flushed.

"Lowemon." Lord Cherubimon called for me. The boy looked alarmed. I felt myself being pulled back to consciousness.

"Lowemon." I flicked my ear annoyed and turned away from the voice. "It's time, Lowemon." I feigned sleep. "Lowemon!" Lord Cherubimon barked at me. I opened an eye and peeked at him.

I lingered on the cot glowering at him. He chuckled.

"Come Lowemon." I swung my feet to the side of my teeny bed and stood.

I made a show of stretching and yawning and he bore it all patiently, a slightly amused look on his disturbing little face.

"All right." I said when I was done.

He raised his arms, his eyes widened and in a twinkle we were back in his inner chambers where he took on his much larger Cherubimon form.

"Good morning Lowemon." Lady Ophanimon's soft voice reached down to me.

"Yes, you had a fine night I trust?" Lord Cherubimon added.

"Good morning to you both. Yes, it was lovely indeed." I said, continuing the pleasantries.

"How did you get along with your little visitor?" I flinched. Lord Cherubimon snickered. "You've thought carefully about what we discussed? You've made your decision?" He watched me intently.

"Yes."

"Well?" He asked. I glanced around focusing on this, observing that; fully aware of his growing aggravation.

"Hmm..." I glanced at Lady Ophanimon's cage. "That light your cell is giving off is quite pleasant. It's almost like the morning sun... There aren't any 'true' mornings on the Dark Continent so it's nice to see." I could almost see the smile she attempted to hide. She too had always been fond of me and my ways, not like Mr. and Mrs. Serious, all business Lord Seraphimon and Agunimon.

"Lowemon!" He roared at me again; I had my ears flat in anticipation and couldn't help the giggles that escaped me.

I composed myself and answered him. "I have decided to fight you tooth and nail. Bring on the digimon. Bring on the child."

"Lowemon..." She was saddened by my announcement. Did she really think I would go with this willingly? "Choose the child, Lowemon. He's your best hope."

"Let's see what these digimon you've gathered can do Lord Cherubimon."

"I really thought you'd submit. For your brother."

"You wouldn't do anything to him."

"Oh?" He scowled already aware of what I was about to say.

"You know that if you destroyed him, it would wound me immeasurably. The anger, hatred, the misery would be vast. You wouldn't risk giving me that much of my own darkness to draw from. You couldn't control me. And you certainly wouldn't be able to force that child on me. Even if you managed, with mine and his darkness for me to use, I could possibly overcome even you." He only stared at me; giving a silent validation to my words.

"Lady Ophanimon has probably hidden his spirit in a new spot. Do you even know where he is now?" His frown deepened. "Thought as much. So let's do this. We'll see how far we get."

"So be it." He raised his hand and brought forth a digimon.

The creature eyed me hungrily. He must have felt that this was his moment of glory. Poor fool.

Lord Cherubimon bent to where his face was level with me. He was frowning. His burning eyes shined golden. I couldn't help feel slightly intimidated by his enormity; although I didn't show it. My brother and I both were considered tall, but beside him anyone would feel tiny.

In that instant I was surrounded in blackness. I felt fine, but there was something, a secondary presence, who I 'saw' was thrashing, agonizing, suffocating; it was desperate to flee away. It dawned on me that it must have been the digimon that Lord Cherubimon had brought to his inner chamber and that it was me he was trying to escape from. I grinned. My mind was overwhelming him. I decided to have some fun.

I drew on his darkness, searching his mind, his fears, finding quite an interesting phobia against the pagumon. Yes, those creepy little things. He had a hard time keeping his composure when around them and tried his best to avoid them period. He pictured them as bouncing and rolling heads, disembodied, grinning and their screeching laugh drove him to hysterics. He often had frightful dreams of them. This fear of his stemming from an encounter from his youth.

How interesting this was. I'd not expected to enjoy this process. I'd never seen the ins and outs of another's mind. As a spectator I knew immediately his secrets, his experiences; I knew what to use against him to dominate and secure my place as the one in control.

But his mind was too small. He lusted after nothing more than splendor and a higher place than he deserved.

I reined him in taking control of his body and pushing him behind me. He curled up, eyes bugged, gasping desperately as if it would help him. _You shouldn't have tried to conquer me._ I thought to him. He trembled.

_What's going to happen? _He asked pitifully.

_I'm going to drain your power. After that I have no clue. _He shook harder. His mind racing through all the possibilities he could come up with. Strange ones too, he pictured me devouring him. None of his imaginings included him making it out of this.

I turned away and focused at controlling his movement. I shuffled his feet, touched his head with his hand. I noticed as I examined his hand, Lord Cherubimon examining him. How foreign these eyes felt. I was used to my keen eyesight; this dull and listless compared. I squinted to see my master better and he cocked his head to the side.

"Well?" He asked. I stared at him for a moment, deciding whether to tease him or drain this creature's power. I felt an attempted intrusion, he was trying read the digimon's thoughts to find out the status of his experiment, but the presence of my mind forbade it. For whatever reason he could never penetrate mine or my brother's minds along with his equals, Lady Ophanimon and Lord Seraphimon. It had never been an issue to him until now when he needed to.

Once I became bored, I turned to my 'neighbor' and smiled pleasantly. He shrinked away, but there was nowhere for him to go. I drained his darkness, ignoring his shrieks and writhing, and added it to mine. It was miniscule in comparison but every little bit was welcome and would aid me in my plan.

Once I was done I turned back to myself unexpectedly. I skipped ahead towards Lord Cherubimon when I felt a presence to my right lunge at me. On the floor where I had stood was a formless blob. It was purplish black with eyes and teeth and hands that reached to me as it moaned unformed words.

I heard gasps from behind and above me.

"Oh my... Is that—" Lady Ophanimon began.

"Yes. It was anyway." Lord Cherubimon sent the creature away and turned his attention on me. "Proud of yourself?" I shrugged. "This is not over; I have other stronger ones to try on you."

"Go ahead."

"Watch your pride. It could very well be your downfall." He left us. I fidgeted.

"He's right. Tread carefully, Lowemon." Lady Ophanimon warned.

"Sings the little kitty in her cage. I'm not the only one who thinks too highly of oneself. You thought you could juggle the two without cost?"

"So I can speak from experience." She answered.

"I suppose."

"Lowemon, accept the child." I crossed my arms stubbornly. "The poor boy; don't turn him into something like that creature." I kept silent. "You don't have to go through this process with the digimon if you become one with the boy."

"But it was such fun." I glanced up to her. What I could see of her through that light she wore a fierce scowl.

"Lowemon," She sounded like Lord Cherubimon when he forced himself to be patient. I grinned. "Promise me you won't mistreat him."

"Me? I have no interest in him. I'm the innocent one. It's you and Lord Cherubimon who want to bring him here. Do you think he's going to treat that little human with any kindness? The child's already damned."

"That's why I want you to accept him now. Maybe Cherubimon would give you to him straight away. He would be safe because your mind blocks out his control."

"You want me to protect the child then? Sorry, he already told me his plans for the boy. He said he was going to 'work on him'. To me the kindest thing would be to let the child be. Leave him in his world and let me fight on my own."

"We can't." I tilted my head a bit. Why not? What is so special about one child?

"Why?" She sighed. "Lady Ophanimon?"

"It'll only make you more stubborn."

"Oh, come now. Perhaps you could change my mind if I knew."

She studied me before continuing. I noticed she squeezed the bars of her enclosure tightly. "The child of darkness is the key. Lowemon's favored dark child, he'll be known. He will come sooner than the other children and will be considerably stronger because of his wounds and your strength to draw on that pain. At the final battle, victory will only be reached if manages to pull off his special feat."

"A special feat? And a key for what?" I asked.

"The key to bring light and darkness together and make them one. The feat is to have the strength of body and mind to wield that power."

"How do you make light and darkness one?"

"We don't know."

"We?"

"Cherubimon occasionally slips out of Lucemon's influence, and we've spoken about it. Perhaps it means combining yours and Lobomon's power." She answered. That would be a destructive power indeed.

"And you expect him to know how to do this?"

"Of course not. You two will have to discover it. Do you see now? Your child will not be like the others. He could not be left out."

"And what if we don't figure it out?"

"You have to."

"A lot to put on one little child's shoulders. He comes from whatever is causing all this pain, then to what Lord Cherubimon will do to him and then be responsible for the salvation of both the worlds."

"He won't be alone. You'll—"

"I'll be with him right? I'll be his nurse maid..."My tone mocking. I tensed; feeling crushed by the weight our shared future.

"Lowemon..." I became aware of Lord Cherubimon's presence approaching. My plan was still valid since the child would be with me the whole time. I decided not to deviate from it which meant draining the power from the rest of his digimon and learning more about overpowering their minds. I couldn't let him see that she had convinced me to take on that child.

"I'll take my chances with Lord Cherubimon's digimon, milady." Lord Cherubimon laughed as he floated by me. Seems like whatever he was doing had brought his humor back.

"Don't bother with him Ophanimon. You know how he is." Once he regained his form he addressed me.

"Have fun with your game, Lowemon. We'll see how long it lasts." He waved his hand, and I was back in my cell.

I sat on my cot, hunched over. So that's why it was so important to get me here. That child will decide how the end battle will go. And Lord Cherubimon wants to get him first. I laid back, staring at the cold stone ceiling. The thought I was underground made me tremble.

And so my days, weeks, months, however long I'd been stuck in my cage, were spent. From the cell to milord's inner chambers; back and forth. Given a few scraps of food every other day.

My predictions about his 'blackest' digimon were true so far, and I had my way with them easily; except I never let him see just how easy.

Each day a new digimon. Each experience ended like the first. I had no clue what he did with them after, but when I was in the room where he kept Lady Ophanimon, I could hear faint moans and whines coming from elsewhere in the castle. My lady didn't expand nor did I ask, but I couldn't imagine what else those cries could be coming from.

My strength had grown, but not by any great standard, nothing that would aid in fighting my master off. I hadn't even learned too much about conquering their minds. Each were like the first, dull and filled only with hunger for power and glory. A human child's mind would surely be more... vast? More intricate? I wasn't sure what a human's mind was like so I couldn't begin to guess what I was to deal with. This distressed me and wondered if I'd be ready in time.

I'd handled my confinement fairly well, save for a few claustrophobic attacks and I was grateful no one witnessed the 'great' Warrior of Darkness shriveled and writhing on the floor. And on occasion, the boy appeared in my dreams, or I was in his, whichever. I ignored him for the most part. He tagged along, never leaving my side, but had learned not to bother speaking to me.

I didn't dwell on how lean I was becoming from my scrawny meals, nor did I consider my deteriorating mental state. My brother was my saving grace. I kept sane by thinking of him. The moons, my Dark Woods, our mansion in that dark forest. The books in our library. Chatting with Lobomon by the fireplace in the great room.

Thinking on my brother and these things and convincing myself I'd see and do them again kept me rational.

I had awoken early this morning, unusual for me since I most times had trouble getting to sleep, and I liked to annoy Lord Cherubimon when he came to summon me, which I did every single morning to just to give him grief.

I felt off for some reason and nervous; I tried not to let myself be to bothered seeing as I'd been confined so long. I had every right to feel a bit off. But it was more than that—I felt achy as if I'd been in a scrap and had taken a good deal more of the blows than my opponent. The more I considered it, the more anxious I got.

My thoughts went to my brother and a rush of panic went through me. Had Lord Cherubimon found him? I started to doubt my earlier confidence that he wouldn't do anything to my brother. If I pushed him too far would he be rash? No, Lord Cherubimon is just as strategic as I am, even now. Killing my brother would only sever any hold he has on me; he wouldn't risk it.

I kept still, staring upward, wondering if it were close to time for him to come for me.

My thoughts were broken by a commotion approaching. I tilted my head but couldn't see a thing. It struck me odd because Lord Cherubimon never made a sound coming and going, he levitates.

I waited as the sound travelled closer. Footsteps. I sat up and leaned closer, straining my ears. I felt tingly, eager; I only felt this way when my brother was near. A twin thing.

I stood and hurried to the bars, being wary not to touch them. I sniffed, trying to catch his scent. Maybe I was delirious; maybe the stay here had brought me to the end of my wits.

My brother soon came into view, followed by Lord Cherubimon. "Lobomon..." He glanced at me. He looked roughed up. "Cherubimon!" I roared. He grinned as I lunged at him. I crashed into the bars and they fried me.

"Brother? I'm okay brother." Lobomon whispered. Our master opened the door to the cell across from mine and motioned him inside. He stepped inside and wobbled to the cot.

Lord Cherubimon grinned at me wickedly; his lips turning up in a snarl. His eyes were anxious, excited. And then he was gone.

"Lobomon?" I watched as he lowered himself carefully. He kept his head down. "Brother?"

He forced himself to look up and offered a weak smile. "I'm okay." He didn't look okay. His hair was mussed and his ears, which he usually held proudly erect, sagged. He took in shallow breaths.

I paced in my cell, neither of us breaking eye contact. "Never thought we'd be put in these cells..." He muttered. "You don't look like you've faired too well." I grinned.

"That bad?" I asked. He nodded.

"You look half-crazed." He smiled. He carefully laid back on the bed, watching me pace. "This is a mess, huh?" He said. I nodded again.

"What did he do to you?"

He hesitated. "It doesn't matter. We're together again." My breath caught.

"Not exactly." I examined the bars for a weakness like I hadn't done that countless times before. "It matters to me."

"Settle down, Lowemon." He smiled. His face had always reminded me of Lord Cherubimon's good side; the wisdom, patience, mostly his gentleness. We shared the same golden hair, crimson eyes, same pricked wolf-like ears and fluffed tails that our branch of the Garurumon line were known for. The only physical differences were our hair lengths. Our personalities, however, were as different as our powers.

"This is my fault he took his aggravation out on you."

"What's going on?"

"He wants me to accept the dark child." His eyebrows rose slightly.

"It's time for that? The children are here?" I shook my head.

"No, Lord Cherubimon has found a child with a remarkably dark heart and he says he can bring him to this world on his own power." He frowned as I spoke.

"I thought the children would be random. He can't do that can he? Choose a child? I mean, the children are supposed to fight on our side. Does he mean to use the child to fight for him?" He asked while I sat on my cot.

"It seems he can; he's sure of himself and Lady Ophanimon is interested in the boy too... He keeps showing up in my dreams."

"Your child?" I scowled at his phrasing, but nodded.

"And yes," I rambled on. It felt so nice to have my brother here to talk to. "He thinks he can control me using the child. He's been forcing digimon on me trying to do the same."

"Forcing digimon on you?" He asked.

"Yeah. I suppose it will be like when those children come. He placed me, my spirit, inside the digimon. He's trying to see if he can use one of them to control me, but I've been able to drain each of them of their power."

"Are you okay?" I nodded. "What was it like?" I placed a finger to my mouth and gave him an 'I can't speak about this right now' look. He nodded, understanding.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I don't know. I was in his inner chambers, I don't remember how I came to be there; Lady Ophanimon was there too, and few of the other Warriors. Lord Cherubimon froze me in place and the others took turns whipping me about." Rage; it was all I could feel. How dare they. Lobomon sensed this and grinned. "I'm okay, ya know? They were never as strong as us. It kinda tickled." I snorted a laugh at his attempt to calm me.

"Lowemon, how did he find the child?"

"The boy's darkness is so strong he sensed it."

"He could sense him from the human world?" I nodded.

"I can too." I replied.

"Is that good or bad?"

I shrugged. "If he's a weak-minded little human, it can't get worse."

"Even a strong-minded one would have trouble. But Lord Cherubimon can't control him if you're there right? He can't pass through your mind. He can only speak to you; he can't manipulate or even hear your thoughts."

"It seems that way with the digimon I've been draining; I can feel him trying, but he hasn't been able to. It might be different with a human."

"How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. Months for sure, maybe a year." I answered.

"He's trying to wear you down. You do look ragged. Has he mistreated you in any other way?"He asked.

I shook my head. "He knew sticking me in here would do more damage than any blow. Don't worry little brother, I'm fine. I'm so glad you're here." He smiled at me, but then it dissipated.

"What?" I asked.

"Why am I here? Not as a reward for sure."

"Maybe he's giving up. I don't sense many more of those 'blackest of the black' digimon left..." His threats to my brother returned to mind. "He's going to use you to make me accept one of them."

He shook his head. "You can't brother. I'll take what he gives. You can only accept the child." I laid back on my cot and stared at the wall.

"Promise me you won't become one with another digimon. Not even for my sake." I hesitated. I had already started thinking about doing just that to protect my brother.

"Lowemon? Don't even consider it." He scolded, which caused me to laugh. "I'll be fine." He sat up and stared at me imploringly. I nodded.

"So have we caught up? I love seeing the two of you together; it makes me wish I had a brother." Lord Cherubimon appeared instantly. My body went rigid and I could sense my brother's had too.

I growled at him which only made him laugh. "Oh come now, Lowemon. I warned you; you just had to push me." He waved his little paws and we were back with Lady Ophanimon. Lobomon stood awkwardly a few feet away, frozen as he had described earlier. Three of our past comrades stationed on his sides. Another wave of his hand brought a digimon; it wasn't hard to see where this was heading.

"Accept this digimon or your brother gets a beating."

"Cherubimon please. Don't do this." Lady Ophanimon begged.

I glanced at Lobomon. He stared back. The reminder of the promise I'd just made, I could read it in his eyes. I sighed and looked down.

Lord Cherubimon forced my spirit into the digimon and for a moment I hesitated. She took this as a signal to force me backwards; obviously she'd been instructed be Lord Cherubimon. Yes, her memories flowed through me easily and I could hear his every word to her. She was horrified when she realized this; she thought she had surprise on her side. I forced her down and drained her. In that instant I was myself again.

"So be it!" Lord Cherubimon roared. He motioned and the others moved towards Lobomon.

"Turn your head brother." Lobomon called out to me. I tried, but I could still hear them striking him. I rushed forward even though I knew doing so was futile. Lord Cherubimon stopped me right in front him. He forced me to watch; I couldn't even close my eyes.

"Cherubimon, enough! Please." Lady Ophanimon shouted, thrashing about in her cage.

"Ophanimon. Join me and I'll let these two go."

"You know that's not an option..." She spat at him.

"Fine." He grumbled and sat back on his haunches. "That's enough." The other Warriors stepped away from Lobomon. Lord Cherubimon 'unfreezed' us and Lobomon sagged to the floor. I tried to go to him, but I was stopped. I glared at Lord Cherubimon, but he only shook his head. He was stroking his forehead, a despaired look on his face. He lifted his other hand and we were back in our cells.

"Lobomon. Are you okay?" I stood close to the bars, trying to examine him.

He sat on his cot, shaking. His breathing was uneven. "Brother?" I whispered. He raised a trembling hand and waved at me.

"I'm okay." He tried to make his voice strong, but it came out in a whimper. We stayed still for several minutes; I waited for him to regain himself. I wanted so to go to him.

"This would've been a nice time to have my armor." He commented. Indeed. He'd taken it off prior to being put to sleep. It was my fault really; I'd told him the armor would only hamper him, slowing him down. All he had to protect him was clothes he usually wore under his armor. "Oh, but at least I have the scarf you gave me." He stammered when he saw me sag guiltily. He made a show of caressing his face with it.

"I'm proud of you."I offered. He looked up and grinned lopsidedly, but then his head drooped and he clenched his knees.

"And I of you. You almost kept still." He whispered.

"I'm sorry for this." He shook his head. I started to pace again.

"It can't be helped. It'll be over soon enough." He glanced up and frowned. "Settle down Lowemon. That doesn't do any good but get you more worked up."

I sat close to the bars, as close as I could to him. "Brother..." He stared at me, waiting for me to continue. "I... I don't want to..."

"I know. But maybe you'll grow attached to the boy." My whole body slumped. "It'll be okay Lowemon. We accept the children, fight and win and they'll go back to their world. Things here will return to the way they were. We just have to get through this rut first."

"Wise words child. Will your brother go by them?" Lord Cherubimon appeared. It made me jump; I was used to him showing up only once a day.

"Why are you here?" I hissed.

"I've made a decision. Come with me you two." At once we were back in his chamber. I reached for Lobomon, I just needed to touch him, but Lord Cherubimon blocked me. "I'm tired of this game of yours; I've decided it's time."

"For the boy?" I grumbled. He nodded. "I thought you said you were going to give him a few more years to simmer or whatever."

"Oh, I am. I'm sending you to him." I started. "I know how you dislike humans. Why not send you to the human world?" He laughed giddily at this idea. "It'll only grow your darkness further to be with those you hate. Coupled with not knowing what I'll do to your beloved brother."

"No! Lady Ophanimon please do something!" I begged.

"I'm sorry. I have no power to help." She replied.

"I'll send you as pretty little puppy. Children find them irresistible. How would you like to have that boy be your master?"

"Lord Cherubimon, please don't send him. It could backfire on you. Lowemon could become attached to the child; it would make them both harder to control." Brother begged.

"That's also a possibility. I'll handle it whe..." He stopped and his face scrunched up. He shook his head as if to get his bearings. When he focused on Lobomon again, he was his good self again.

"Lobomon, Lowemon... I'm truly sorry for all of this."

"Then don't do it." I shot out.

"I can't help myself." He stared pleadingly as if he could will me to understand.

"My brother, Lord Cherubimon..." I whined. I could feel the tears spilling down my cheeks. All my arrogance had dissipated.

"I'm sending him as well; I won't separate you. I'll hide his presence from my mind; I won't know he's even there."

"Really?" Lobomon and I asked. Lord Cherubimon nodded.

His face twisted and he grabbed his head with both hands. A smoky purple cloud swirled around him. "No, not yet." He growled. He looked at me. "Lowemon, you have to accept the child. I know how taxing this will be for you, but you must. Be kind to him. We'll need the bond between the two of you to be strong." I nodded. "Good."

"Thank you Lord Cherubimon." I whispered. He looked at Lobomon and back at me, smiling sadly.

"Well wishes, you two." Lady Ophanimon offered.

I glanced at my brother and found the same uncertainty in his eyes.

Lord Cherubimon lifted his hands, his brow wrinkled in concentration, and everything went white.


	2. Strike

**Author's notes:**

**Unimportant info:** A ridiculously long chapter (at least it felt super long when I was writing it) and nothing really happens till the end. It's just meant to show Lowemon and Lobomon's first tastes of the human world.

The story takes place a few years before the kids go to the Digital World. Kouichi is seven.

Doesn't have anything to do with this chapter, but I wanted to get it out there. Kouichi's last name in my story is Minamoto, which is completely viable if Tomoko and Kousei were still married when the twins were born. In my story they were, so Kouji and Kouichi get to have the same last name.

I like how in American version of the show, Kouichi calls Kousei papa instead of dad. I think it was in episode 30. It sounds sweeter and more intimate to me than plain dad, so that's what he'll call Kosei in this story.

**The reason why Kouichi doesn't seem to recall Kouji, but remembers Kousei**: I've heard that sometimes when a person goes through a traumatic experience their brain will force them to forget it. It's a way to protect that person. For the twins, being separated was too excruciating, so to protect themselves, their minds forgot. But not completely...

**Tomoko is different in my story:** I wanted him to be darker. Being worried over a sick parent and having financial troubles is certainly a hard thing to go through, I've been through both myself, but I wanted him to be darker. So his relationship Tomoko isn't the same as it was on the show. Kousei's different in this story too. Also, the twins weren't split up until after they turned five. In my mind, that age is old enough to have memories, but young enough for those memories to be a little foggy and unreliable.

**I don't own Digimon.**

* * *

><p>I couldn't see. Everything was blank. I was only aware of a heavy smokiness that hung in the air. It smelled like the exhaust Trailmon would emit back in the Digital World. I sneezed; I was used to the stale air of my cell. A whip of frosty wind dug into my side, and I winced.<p>

A dreadful roar sounded to my right. I heard a yelp beside me and tried to stand but couldn't find my footing. I shook my head trying to clear my vision and fell over.

"Lobomon?" I called for him.

"I'm right here."

I ventured to open my eyes again. This time it was still blurred, but I was starting to see. I looked in the direction of my brother's voice. I squeezed my eyes shut again then opened them. Things were much clearer this time. I stared at the tiny snowy-white creature beside me; it took seconds for me to realize I was the same size.

"Lobomon?" I giggled. He looked like a ball of fluff with four legs, a head and a tail poking out.

"What? Why are you laughing?" He asked. His eyes were shut tight. He opened one and peeked around before settling on me. He tensed and looked down at his petite white paws then back at me.

"Lowemon, is that you?" He stared at me, incredulous.

"Yep." I grinned.

_Animals in this world can't speak to humans, be mindful of that._ Lord Cherubimon's voice boomed in my head.

"He says not to speak in front of the humans." Lobomon nodded.

Litter scattered on the ground, a dumpster situated behind us... By the looks of it, Lord Cherubimon had stuck us in an alleyway. I could see humans scurrying down the sidewalk just outside; I watched them hurry past.

_That'll make it hard for us to communicate. _

I tore my eyes off the alley's opening and onto brother. "We'll figure it out." Lobomon tilted his head, causing his floppy ears to wiggle. "What?" I asked. I found my head tilting as well as if that would help me understand his confusion better.

"You heard what I was thinking." He said and leaned closer. _Lowemon?_

_I can hear you. _I answered. _Can you me? _

_Yes. That's great, brother! _He hopped up with a shrill yip and his tail waggled. A silly, giddiness came over me, and I copied him.

A peculiar look appeared on his face and he charged at me, mouth open. I tried to flee but my new puppy feet were too uncoordinated and I stumbled, rolling a few times. He took advantage of this and tackled me, latching onto my neck. I wrapped my forelegs around him the best I could and pulled him down with me. When he fell, I broke loose and scooted across the alley. I came to a stop and watched as he bounced towards me excitedly. As he rushed forward, a blaring sound, like the one that made us come to, sounded right outside the alley.

My brother halted for a few seconds and then flew to my side, making an awful yowling, screeching noise. He pressed himself against me and continued whining.

_Lobomon, what's wrong?_

_I don't know... I can't stop._

Just then a man entered our alley, drawn by my brother's cries. We scrambled into a corner and squeezed together. Fear electrified me; very strange, since it wasn't my nature to run away unless absolutely necessary. It must have been the instincts of this new body that made me choose flight over fight and caused my brother to act strangely seconds ago.

He approached us and knelt down. "It's okay pups. Did that truck scare you?" We squirmed closer together as he held his hand out. Lobomon stretched out and sniffed it. The man took this as an invitation to stroke his forehead with a finger. Brother's tail thump-thumped against my shoulder.

_What're you doing Lobomon? Don't encourage him._

_I can't help it. My body's acting on its own. _Lobomon buried his head in my back.

He offered his hand to me; I snapped at it. A pathetic, laughable growl rose from my chest. He pulled his hand back and chuckled.

"I can't leave you here; you're too young to take care of yourselves."He looked troubled for a second, then glanced at his wrist, no at something wrapped around his wrist. "We'll it can't be helped; I'll just have to be a little late." He tenderly lifted my brother and tucked him under his arm. Any other time, I'd have a good laugh at the look on brother's face.

I charged at the man, yipping as fiercely as I could muster; until I realized how vain my effort was, he was colossal compared to me, and stared hopelessly at Lobomon.

"Don't worry little guy; we're not leaving you behind." He reached for me. I had meant to stay and let him grab me, but my puppy instincts kicked in and I darted away. "C'mon pup, you're making me even later. I only get an hour for lunch."

_Let him pick you up Lowemon. We can't escape him._

I forced myself to be still, my tail between my hind legs; the show of fear and submission aggravated me to no end. He picked me up and placed me beside my brother.

We walked out of the alleyway into the throng of people. There were more humans than I cared to see and so many buildings towering over us; I started to get claustrophobic again. It was overwhelming to me, and I wiggled. "Settle down; I don't want to drop you." He said softly.

_It's okay Lowemon; I'm here._ Lobomon nuzzled under my ear with his nose.

_I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm fine. _I panted.

_What are those?_ I asked. They almost looked like mini-Trailmon; I could even see humans inside. _So many of them. _I started to fidget again.

_Cars; they're used for transportation. The much larger ones are called buses. They hold even more people. There's also something called a train; it's pretty much the same thing as a Trailmon. I read about them in a book from Lady Ophanimon's library. She had several about the human world._ I remember him reading those books. Kinda wish I'd bothered to look at them now...

_Well, I'm glad you read them. At least you'll have some idea of what's going on._

He laughed. _I only read a couple._

_Better than none at all. _I said.

_Wow Lowemon. So many humans; everywhere you look. _He was definitely handling this better than me.

_It smells bad here. _I muttered.

_Not bad... Just different. We're used to country air. This actually reminds me of Steel Town's Trailmon terminal. _

_Oh, that doesn't smell bad at all._ Lobomon's black nose twitched furiously. It did smell good. We passed a cart with several humans gathered around, shoving food in their mouths.

"Smells good huh? No time to stop though." The man said.

We saw more of these carts, each with a delicious scent, placed right out on the sidewalk to tempt passerbyers like us.

_We'd better get to try some of that if we have to be here... _I muttered.

_I agree. _He stated. We both licked our lips. I could feel his tail thrashing against my legs.

"I know there's a vet clinic around here..." The man stopped, looking around. "There." He started walking again and entered a building. I was immediately assaulted by smells of other creatures; scents I couldn't identify. I started to squirm again, and he tightened his grip.

The man walked up to another human. "Excuse me, I found these puppies—" She cut him off by pointing to a sign with her pen.

"We don't accept drop-offs." The sign read.

"But look how cute they are. Little powder puffs." He chuckled. Her eyes flashed to us and widened.

"They have red eyes; I've never seen such... They're adorable, but we don't accept drop-offs." She smiled and went back to scribbling.

"But, what if I paid you something?" She shook her head, not even bothering to look up.

"Do you want the doctor to take a look at them?" She asked.

"Yeah, puppies need shots right?" She nodded, stood up and walked around the desk to us. He handed us over to her.

"Have a seat. It'll be a few minutes." She walked away with us, cooing when I tried to squirm away; I was ready to jump and make a mad dash out into the streets of wherever we had been sent.

_Calm down brother. You're okay. _Lobomon thought.

_I'm okay. I'm okay._

"Doctor," She said when we had approached another man. "Do you have time to check these two out?" The man nodded.

We were handed off again to another person who followed this new man into a room. We were placed on an unpleasantly chilly silver table. As soon as her hands were off I broke into a full run, which seemed pitifully slow, and threw myself off the table.

_Lowemon no! _Brother called out.

The lady grabbed me just before I hit the floor. "Don't do that puppy, you'll break those little bones."

"What do we have?" The doctor asked. I was flipped with my stomach was facing upward.

"A boy." She replied.

He did the same to my brother, who looked mortified. "Another male." He was holding something hard and scribbled on it.

He opened Lobomon's mouth and peered inside. "Looks normal." He came towards me, and as much as I jerked and twisted, I couldn't free myself from the woman's hold. I growled which caused them both to laugh.

She held my head still while the man forced my mouth open. "Looks good." He muttered.

"How old are they?" She asked. "They're so tiny."

"Looks to be about eight weeks, if that." The man replied.

"Just babies."

"Can you hand me that pen light?" She let go of me, and I took that chance to reattempt my escape. This time, though, she was quick and caught me before I reached the table's end.

_Lowemon... _

"Gotcha." She laughed. "Your brother's much better behaved than you." She carried me with her and grabbed something off the counter, handing it to the man.

He crouched before my brother and shined a light into one eye, then the other.

"This one's fine. Bring the other to me." She placed me on the table beside Lobomon.

_Don't act up, brother. It'll only make this take longer._ Lobomon advised.

I giggled and squeezed my eyes closed.

_Brother..._ He scolded, but there was a lilt of amusement to his voice. The humans laughed too. The man grabbed me and pried my eyelids open.

"Let's get their weights." He said after blinding me with the light.

She picked us both up, walked over to the opposite wall and dropped Lobomon on a scale. Some numbers flashed and the doctor scribbled them down. She put me on it and looked at the man with some hesitation. She let go and I flew off just as she had expected. It took several minutes for them to recapture me.

"I have an idea." The man left and was back a moment later with a box. He put it on the scale, wrote down the numbers, then put me in it. I threw myself against the sides but couldn't clear the top. I tried until I wore myself out and lay still panting. A few seconds later the box was lowered to the floor and my brother joined me in the cage.

"Next we'll draw some blood, then shots and worming and we'll be all done." The lady said and picked me up. She was grinning as if she was about to retaliate for my bad behavior earlier. She placed me on the table, held me tightly and stretched one foreleg out.

There were several sticks beside me. The man picked one up and pulled the top off, which showed a much smaller stick. He pushed it in my leg. I shrieked horribly. Red liquid filled the tube attached to the end of the stick.

_Lowemon?_

_They're draining my innards out!_

"It's okay little guy. It's almost over." The lady spoke softly to me. Which I completely ignored.

The man picked up another stick. I bucked and wriggled as hard as I could, but she held me tighter. The doctor jammed the stick under my shoulder and I felt a burning spread under my skin. I cried even louder with this one.

_Lowemon!_ I could hear him scrambling in the box to get to me.

The man did this twice more, with me howling the whole time. He rammed the last one into my mouth and pushed something pasty and horrible tasting down my throat. The other human held my mouth closed as I clawed at it with both paws. She held me like this until I swallowed and then brought me back to the box and picked up my brother.

_No, Lobomon fight!_

_You seem okay now... Was it really that bad? _I watched as he disappeared from my sight. I shuffled my weight; my new little body feeling sore from where I'd been stabbed.

My brother handled it far better than I did; I only heard a few soft whimpers come from him.

"What a brave boy! See, it wasn't so bad." She placed him beside me. "You make your brother look so silly." He was scratching his mouth and gagging.

_Lobomon, your foreleg. _He looked down. A trickle of that red stuff had crept to his toes. I licked his leg and gagged at the rusty taste.

_Brother? Why did you do that_? He asked.

_I don't know. I felt that's what I should do. You taste terrible Lobomon... _

_That red liquid is called blood, not innards. _He commented as he stared at his leg. _You had me scared Lowemon, I thought they were killing you, but it wasn't as bad as you made it seem._

We snuggled together as close as we could as the box was lifted and we were carried away.

"So how were they?" I heard the first man who found us ask.

_If I knew the curses of this world, I would speak each and every one of them on you._ Brother was too busy trying to disappear into my neck to comment.

"They're in good shape." She handed him the box, and he smiled at us. I buried my face into Lobomon's side. I didn't want to see him, this man that betrayed us. "That one there is a little mess."

"He caused you trouble?" He put the box on the floor beside him and pulled out his wallet.

"He's the reason they're in the box." She laughed.

_I don't see why this is funny. After being stabbed..._

_Maybe it makes them feel superior that they can hurt creatures smaller than them. _Brother commented.

He exchanged money for a few slips of paper, she called them our certificates, a couple of metal tags and with a thanks he picked us up and walked out the door.

"You two made me take a huge detour on my lunch break. Good thing I snuck out and grabbed some food to take back. I got something for you too." He did smell pretty good, but I had no interest in eating anything these crazy humans could offer.

We walked for several minutes in silence; Lobomon and I trying to examine every sound from outside our box. After awhile we entered another building. He placed us on the floor beside a desk and went out of sight for a moment. I could hear the door shut behind him.

_Lowemon, have we come across your child yet? _Brother looked at me.

My child... I grimaced at his words. _No, not directly. I've felt him even stronger since we came here, but he's not been close._

I heard the door open, and the man came back into view. He dropped two bowls into our box and filled one with water and the other with a white liquid.

_I'm not drinking _that.

Lobomon inched forward and sniffed it. A little pink tongue ventured out and lapped it up.

_It probably has poison in it Lobomon. _I grumbled.

The man looked at me. "It's okay, it's milk. I didn't have time to pick up dog food."

_Dog food? That sounds terrible..._

_This is really good Lowemon._ My brother said, the 'milk' dripping from his muzzle.

_I don't want it._ I went into a corner, as far from the dish as possible, and pressed myself into it.

The man laughed. "What a prissy little thing."

_I'm not prissy; I'm angry._

_You are prissy. _Lobomon countered. _You always have been._

"I can't take you but don't worry. I'll make sure you both get good homes."

Lobomon stopped drinking. _Homes?_ _We're going to be separated?_

_No we're supposed to stay together._ I could see the panic in Lobomon's face, but since brother was facing me, the man couldn't.

"I know a little boy who would love to have one of you. He's coming by later to bring the rent check for his mother." He grimaced. "Oh man, she's going to tear me up." He sat down and picked at his food, still frowning.

_Lowemon, what do we do?_ He waddled over and pushed himself against me.

_Maybe the boy will take us both. We'll figure it out. Don't worry._

We stayed snuggled together for several hours. People came in and out handing our captor slips of paper and stopping to admire us. The man offered us up, but each made an excuse of why they couldn't take on a pet.

_What do you think he'll be like? _My brother's question jerked me out of my own thoughts. He cuddled closer to me.

_He could be nasty little thing. _

_He could be sweet-hearted. _My brother interjected.

_Yeah... _

_What was he like in your dreams?_

_Shy. Polite, I suppose. We hardly spoke. _I commented.

_Can you not sense it through his darkness?_

_Hmm? _I asked.

_Is his darkness tinted with anger, meanness, hatred? Or is he sad? Lonely? _Ah, I see where he's getting at. I had been too frazzled by this situation to care about examining his darkness.

_It's kind of hard to tell. There are many other dark hearts I'm sensing. If his wasn't so profound, and I hadn't sensed it for so long in the Digital World, he would certainly be lost to me._

_But you can sense his above the others? _He asked.

_Yes. It feels as if he's moving closer to us_.

I considered his gloom for several minutes. _It's the latter. He's miserable, lonely and heartbroken. He feels hopeless. I don't sense any viciousness in him. _I informed my brother.

_So most likely he won't be cruel to us; we'd have no way to defend ourselves if he was. _I sagged at his words; I hated being so helpless.

I perked up though, when I sensed the child even closer.

_Lobomon. I feel him._

_He's coming?_

_Yes. _The door opened.

"Hey, Kouichi." The man greeted.

"Hello." He approached the man's desk, and like the others, held out a piece of paper to the man. The man must be very important in this world for everyone to give him money.

_Is that him?_

_Yes._

The boy hadn't noticed us. I stared at this child; the boy who'd haunted me for so long. He was small, pale and very thin. His thick, dark hair fell messily around his face and set off the dark blue of his eyes.

I wanted to flee as far away from him as possible.

The boy had turned to leave, but the man stopped him. "Look what I have here." He motioned down toward us, we cringed.

His face lit up. "Puppies!" He squeaked. For a moment the darkness that was so full and foreboding had been forgotten.

"Yeah, I found them in an alley. I'm trying to find homes for them; would you like to take one?" The boy looked dazed.

"I could have one? I don't know if Kaa-san would like that..." He frowned and gripped the top of the box. His high from before was slipping away.

"I know, you can't afford it right? Well I was thinking. I have a few things around here I could use some help with; I'll pay you a little each month. It'll buy dog food and you can save the rest up for vet bills. I'll cover the pet deposit myself." The boy nodded. "We need to find homes for these guys."

The boy flinched. "They're brothers?" His face twisted and he looked at us painfully.

"Kouichi?"

"You can't separate brothers."

"I can't help that. I've been trying all afternoon, nobody wants the responsibility." The boy only shook his head.

"You can't." He looked at us then back at the man. His eyes were insistent. "I'll take them both."

The man looked surprised. "I don't know... Tomoko would kill me if you took one, she'll kill me twice over if you took both."

"I'll take great care of them. Please? You can't split them." The boy stared firmly at the man. He had worked himself up to the point of tears. The man was stunned; it seemed he wasn't used to seeing the boy so affected.

"Of course. Of course you can have both. They couldn't find a better home than with you." The man smiled warmly. "What're you going to name them?" The boy smiled weakly; he looked frail from his outburst. He crouched to get a better look at us.

"I don't know. I didn't think I would ever get a puppy." He reached toward us, and Lobomon licked his fingers. It must have tickled; the boy pulled his hand back, giggling.

"Well when you pick the names, come tell me so I can write them down on your lease." The boy nodded. "Oh, and here's your first paycheck and the papers the vet gave me." He handed them to the boy. "I didn't have time to pick up any puppy food earlier."

"That's okay. I can do that. Thank you so much. I'll do my best with the job too." The boy knelt to lift the box but froze. I felt a rise of fear and guilt from him. "Is it okay if they stay here while I buy some dog food?"

"Sure. That's fine."

The boy hurried off. It was only a short while before he was back.

He picked us up this time with no hesitation. The man hurried to the door and opened it so we could get through. The frigid air greeted us as we stepped out. "Uh, Kouichi..." The man asked once we had escaped to the outside.

"Yeah?"

"If your mom gives you a hard time, just send her my way alright?"

The boy nodded. "Thanks again." He said smiling widely.

He stared at us while he walked. His eyes studied us both. "You two have red eyes like the man from my dreams."

He continued to stare. His lips curled at the ends "Twins. You're exactly alike." He glanced away; a slight blush tinted his cheeks. "I always wished I had a brother... Especially a twin brother." He whispered this as if it was a secret.

The box was lowered as he fumbled in his pockets, pulling out some keys. He opened the door and brought us in. We were carried a little ways before the box was lowered again.

He stood beside us and counted what was left of the money the man had given him.

Lobomon let out a soft whine. The boy looked at us and smiled. He reached and pulled Lobomon out. When he came for me and, I skittered around to escape, but he caught me and out I came.

Pain radiated from where I'd been assaulted earlier; I howled.

"What's wrong?" He watched as I limped to my brother. "Oh, you must be sore from your shots. I'm sorry. I should've been gentle."

He disappeared through a door only to come back seconds later with a couple of bags and sat in front of us. "I bought you guys some things." A smile brightened his face as he fished something out of the first bag. "Puppy food. I got the most expensive they had so it should taste good." He dug around in the next bag pulling out other items. "A brush. Collars and leashes. I thought red and black would go nice with your white fur."

_Leashes? _Good thing the boy was looking down or else he would've caught an expression a puppy dog shouldn't wear.

My brother looked at me. _Remember, Lowemon. You must act right. Leashes are a part of a dog's life here. I saw a few being led around when we were out on the street._

"Who wants to be black?" He held out the collar and looked as if he expected a reply.

Lobomon yipped and his tail flailed happily. The boy laughed and leaned forward, attaching the collar.

"It fits great. Looks really good on you. Not too tight?" Lobomon yipped again, which caused the boy to giggle. "I'm glad. But don't worry, I'm not going to make you guys wear them inside. Just when we walk." He took the collar off my brother, picked up the other things and carried them out of the room.

_What are you doing? Don't expect me to act like that._

_He seems like a nice child. Lord Cherubimon is going to give him a horrible time as it is. The more we build him up with happy memories, the better chance he'll be able to fight the master off. I want to support him as much as possible. _I knew he was right, but I was so aggravated that I could only pout. His tail wagged in amusement.

I looked around at the tiny space we were in. Enough room for a small bed, a nightstand with a lamp and, opposite of the bed, a pile of books and a stack of boxes. I felt an attack of claustrophobia inching toward me.

I noticed a few papers strewn on the floor near the boxes and went to examine them. Brother followed.

I was surprised to find a few fairly accurate sketches of me in my digimon form. _Those are pretty good._ Brother said.

"You like my pictures?" The boy asked when he found us looking at his drawings. "That's the man is see in my dreams sometimes. He doesn't like me much, but I like him." He placed two bowls on the floor. One with water, the other he filled with the dog food.

Lobomon walked over to it and sniffed. He took some in his mouth and immediately it came out. He gagged a little.

"You don't like it?" He rested his hand on my brother's feathery white back. Lobomon glanced at him and wagged his tail slightly. He then settled in front of the water and lapped some up. The boy looked deflated.

_Lobomon? _

_It was filthy. _I chuckled.

I walked over and smelt it. Indeed it was vile.

"Try it, you may like it." The boy encouraged. I turned and sat with my back to it.

_Lowemon, don't be rude. _My brother fussed.

"That's okay. If you guys don't like it, I'll get a refund and buy another brand tomorrow. But that doesn't help for now." He lifted the bowl to his nose and sniffed. I almost cackled out loud when he grimaced. He dumped the stuff back in its bag. "I bet you two are hungry. We don't have a lot of food here, but I'll try to find something." He left the room with Lobomon waddling at his heels. I tried to stay rooted, but my curiosity rose and I found myself trailing behind them. Our nails clicked on the old scuffed up wood floor the whole way.

He led us down a hallway into another small room that appeared to be a kitchen. He opened the cabinet doors one by one, finally pulling out a box and shaking it doubtingly. Didn't sound like much in the box... Then he turned his attention to the refrigerator. He wasn't kidding about not having a lot of food. There was a jug of white liquid, which I assumed was milk, and very few other items.

"I guess it'll be cereal." He pulled out the jug.

He knelt beside Lobomon; I had stopped a ways back from them, and poured the contents of the box into a bowl. Next came the milk. "This tastes really good." He offered. Lobomon ambled toward it and gave it a try.

_Lowemon, it is good._ He said as he gulped it down. _Come try it. It's sweet and crunchy. _He added, trying to appeal to my love of all sweet things.

_No. _

_Don't starve yourself to spite Kouichi. I know you feel the need to lash out, but he has no control over this. _He said this as he was still eating.

_I know that._

_Then why are you being difficult?_

..._I don't know. _He lifted his head and glanced back at me. This caused the boy to look as well.

"You should eat too. If you don't, you won't grow as big as your brother; you'll be the runt." He said this seriously. Lobomon snickered then positioned himself where he could watch me as he ate.

I didn't move, so the boy picked me up. My body went rigid. He tensed and looked down worriedly at me.

"You don't like being picked up. That's fine of course. I won't do it again unless it's necessary." He said this with all seriousness and placed me beside my brother. "You should still try to eat." I turned my head away from the bowl. "You don't have to eat. Just let me know if you get hungry later okay?" He smiled then. The way this boy carried on conversation with us, you'd think it was completely normal for dogs and humans to speak.

"It's hard to go to a new place. It can take your appetite away." He nodded. I almost commented back before I caught myself. "When we first moved here I didn't want to eat either. I missed the old house. I still do, but I can't remember much about it."

_He's an articulate child. _Lobomon observed. He had finished his dinner and sat beside me licking the milk from his whiskers.

The boy leaned close, as if he was about to tell us a secret. "I don't want to be here either." He whispered.

He spoke louder now. "But Grandma can't live at her house anymore; she had to move to a nursing home. I used to stay with her because Kaa-san works nights at one of her jobs... She always has to work, and she's sick a lot too."

"I have to stay here now. But I'm not alone anymore at least." He smiled at us. It wasn't a happy smile however. His little face was tense and his paleness, made more dramatic by his dark hair, gave him the appearance of a specter. His eyes showed he was stressed by this situation greatly.

Lobomon waddled to the boy and he stroked him.

"I shouldn't have taken you guys. Mom's boyfriend is really mean. I don't know what to do with you when I go to school. I can't leave you here alone; he might hurt you." Lobomon crawled into his lap and stretched out. He smiled genuinely and scratched behind brother's ear.

"Did you have enough to eat?" He asked. His face was kindly even if he looked troubled. Lobomon yipped. Just then his own stomach grumbled. He looked away miserably. "I guess it's my turn." Lobomon jumped down and the boy stood. He opened the door to the fridge and looked for awhile before searching in one of the cabinets.

Not finding what he wanted he shut the door and came back to us. He grabbed the box of cereal and shoved his hand in and dug around. He scowled bringing his hand out, empty only for a gritty powder that dusted his fingers.

"Maybe I can use some of the money Kazuo-san gave... No, no. That's supposed to be for their food and vet bills." He stared at the floor in a trance muttering to himself. "I'm so hungry... And they won't eat that stuff I bought; that food was expensive. I can get a refund and buy them some human food with the money I get back. I can get a lot of ramen and some milk and cereal. And maybe I can eat a little bit of it..." He jerked when Lobomon barked in agreement. The boy smiled kindly at him.

"I guess I need to hurry. It's getting dark already and it's only going to get colder." He rushed off. He came back shortly after with the dog food and a bag. "I can't leave you guys here alone. You'll have to ride in my book bag." He called for us to come to him. My brother trotted to him, his tail wagging.

"You're very smart if you already know what come means." He picked him and put him in the sack. I grumbled inwardly, but went to him. He picked me up gently and sat me beside my brother. "Now this isn't going to be enjoyable, but it's cold out and too far for you to walk. And they don't let dogs in the store. You can't make a sound, okay?" He addressed us before zipping the bag almost closed. "There and leave an opening so they can breathe." He whispered to himself. In seconds we were lifted up and were moving.

_I hate this. But at least the boy tried to make it comfortable. _I spoke to Lobomon as I nested into the blanket the child had thrown in for us. Trying to stand was too difficult with the rocking of the boy's gait.

_The boy? He has a name. _Brother said.

_I've renamed him 'the boy'._

Lobomon laughed. _Yes, he's a good child. We lucked out. _He stumbled to me and wrapped around me for extra warmth.

_You seem to like him quite a bit. _My ears perked hearing the door shut behind us.

_I do._ _He's interesting. _He yawned; I watched his little pink tongue curl at the tip. He looked weary and leaned his head onto my back.

_Are you okay?_ I asked.

_I just feel very sleepy now that I've filled my stomach. _He nuzzled his face in my fluffy fur.

_Then rest brother. _

I listened as his breathing deepened. He didn't at all seem bothered by the murmur of humans on all sides of us or the sounds of the cars rushing by. The occasional one laying down on the horn which made me flinch each time.

A short time later I heard a swooshing. We must have entered his destination; it was quieter and a little warmer. We came to a stop and I heard the boy speaking to another human. Soon we were moving again. I listened as the boy hummed to himself as he walked about. I heard the swooshing again and the cool air crept back into our bag. I curled closer to Lobomon.

"How are you guys doing back there?" The boy asked.

_Oh you know, so-so._ I answered, even though I knew he couldn't hear.

"I'm trying to hurry and get back home. I know you guys don't like it in there." I glanced at my brother.

_Lobomon doesn't seem to mind at all. I actually don't mind so much either. At least not as much as I would've thought. Thank you for making it comfortable for us._

"I know, I know. It is comfortable. You're welcome." I started. Could he hear us talking? None of the other humans seemed able to hear us.

_Boy can you hear me? _He said nothing. It must've been a coincidence...

He was silent the rest of the way back; I almost nodded off several times until I heard a door being unlatched. Soon after we were lowered to the floor and the top of our cage was opened. The boy peeked at us and smiled when he noticed my brother still dozing. He lifted his finger to his mouth and grinned.

"We need to be quiet." He whispered before walking off. I snuggled up to Lobomon and allowed myself to sleep.

I awoke to a shrill whining coming from my side. I pawed at my ears and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to cling to sleep.

Still it continued. I heard something approaching and opened my eyes.

_Lobomon? Why are you fussing so?_

_I have to go; I don't know if I can hold it..._

The boy appeared above us. He looked at my brother concerned.

"What is it?" He pulled Lobomon out. "Do you have to go outside?" My brother yipped. "Okay." He grabbed me. "You probably have to go too." He fastened us with our collars and leashes.

My brother caught the odd look that must have graced my puppy features. _You better not balk Lowemon. I'm serious._

_I can see that. I won't. _At least not on the way out...

We waddled after him obediently, and he led us to a grassy patch. After we were done, the boy turned back towards the apartment. I halted. My companions looked at me oddly.

"What's wrong puppy? You did so well coming out." He pulled gently and I fell onto my side, frozen.

_Lowemon really... _

_He'll be my servant. I have to teach him this now while he's young._

Lobomon glanced at the child. _You know he could just pick you up..._

_He said he wouldn't..._

"Come on boy. I said I wouldn't pick you up. We need to go back in. I have to try to get some sleep."

_It's cold out here. _Lobomon added. Indeed, he was shivering.

...

_I want to go in. _I didn't move. _I'm cold brother. _While I debated, he walked behind me. I shrieked when I felt sharp puppy teeth sink into my haunch. I jumped up and swung around. All the hair on my little body puffed out in alarm. My tail had retreated between my legs.

"Don't fight." The boy said. He pulled on us and I followed close to his feet away from Lobomon. We trailed him until we reached the stairs up to his apartment. I tried my best to make it up myself; the boy and my brother watched for a minute as I jumped and threw myself against the first step. Eventually the boy scooped us up and walked back to our new home.

He positioned us on the floor and we followed as he walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

He grabbed the bag we'd napped in earlier, which sat close to the couch, pulled the blanket out, moved his pillow back and made a nest for us on the furthest corner. He placed us in our bed and draped the blanket over us.

"Good night." He scratched us both under our muzzles and flicked off the light.

For awhile the boy tried to sleep without any luck, he'd roll to one side, grumble and flop on the other.

A little bit later, we heard a click and the room lightened. The glow came from a box along the wall opposite the couch. Several humans appeared inside the box.

_Lobomon, what's that? _

_I don't know. _Brother's floppy ears pricked tightly atop his head. I could feel my fur puffing again. I crowed out.

"Shh. It's okay. Just the TV." The boy stared at us with his head still on the pillow.

I walked to the edge of the couch and looked at the boy expectantly. He lowered me to the floor. Brother followed after me. We walked stiffly toward the box, grumbling all the way. My brother's fur stuck out all over his body, effectively doubling his size. The boy stayed on the couch giggling, obviously not grasping the seriousness of this situation. The boy's snickering exploded into a deep, gut laugh when we arrived at the box; the humans vanished and were replaced by a dragon-like creature roaring and spitting fire.

Warriors of Light and Darkness we were no more. We were sent, shrieking, back to the boy.

"It's okay. Don't be scared." He smoothed the fur on our backs. "Come on." He walked to the box. We followed slowly. "You guys think there's something in there, huh? It's just pictures and sounds that tell stories." He rapped on the front, right on the monster's forehead. It made distinct glassy sound. "It's called a TV."

We crept closer and sniffed the box. It was nothing like the stink of a monster. We peeked around the back. Nothing there either. He snickered and carried us back to our bed.

_How interesting._ Lobomon said.

_Although I feel quite foolish now. _My brother looked at me amused.

I nestled into the blanket when I felt tenderness in my leg.

I inspected the wound brother had inflicted earlier. He hadn't bit hard enough to break the skin thank goodness. I glared at him. He looked away holding in a laugh.

_It hurts? I'm sorry Lowemon. Today was rough, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you even if you were being a jerk. _I laughed.

_All's forgiven_. I replied. _I kinda like it, but not when I'm on the receiving end. I'd like to see you do that to someone else. A certain master whose name I won't mention perhaps? But since I'm the one who's around you most, I imagine I'd get the worst of it._

_Behave yourself and you've nothing to worry about. _He commented.

_You know I can't behave._ We both laughed and snuggled together, but kept our eyes on the TV.

Eventually we fell asleep, but the boy's tossing would jar us awake.

I awoke at once when I heard the front door open. My brother's eyes were open as well, his head turned in its direction even though the back of the couch barred his vision. I peeked over the blanket nest to see if it was the boy, but my eyes met his. He gazed at me timidly then sat up and fidgeted with his blanket.

Footsteps sounded behind us and moved deeper into the apartment.

"Hi mom. How was work?" He peeked over the couch. I could hear walking back toward the kitchen. His eyes followed her.

"Fine." She replied, tersely. He turned around and stared at us, worrying his bottom lip. He looked troubled, his shoulders slumped, his face even more ashen then the night before. He was twisting the blanket's threads so that his little fingers were red.

He stood, scooped us up and walked towards the kitchen. I could feel him trembling.

_This isn't good. Not at all._ Lobomon remarked as he squirmed. The boy shushed him. With this new puppy body, my brother must be sensing some of the boy's negative emotions. I was sensing more than I was used to as well.

_You should feel the full brunt his emotions right now. You'd really not like that_. The darkness in the boy churned, livid, fearful, bitter. But still he walked on. A woman, his mother of course, was scrounging around the kitchen for food.

She was attractive and seemed rather young with dark black hair that spilled over her shoulders. I tried to see if I could find the boy in her, but the only features they shared were the strained, exhausted looks on their faces.

The boy stood in the doorway staring at her for a few seconds, trying to squash those dark feelings down.

"Kazuo-san gave me a present, mom." He kept his eyes on us.

"Really?" She answered apathetically.

"Yeah, look." His voice faltered.

She raised her head. Her blank expression turned furious when she saw us. "No. Absolutely not."

He hugged us tighter. "I'll take care of them. Kazuo-san said..."

"I can barely cover the bills. I don't have money for food. You know I can't afford anything extra. Why would you do something so foolish?" She pushed her hair out of her face, grumbling. "Take them back." He shook his head. Her eyes widened in surprise. "You take them back. Now." She said severely.

He frowned. "...No."

She growled and walked past him. The front door opened and slammed to. The boy hurried after her into the frigid morning air. We found her banging on another door.

The door opened; the man from yesterday stepped out, the one who found us. He was obviously caught half asleep; he was disoriented and his sandy colored hair was in disarray.

He looked at the woman, then the boy and us, then back at the woman who was fuming.

"Come on Tomoko—" He started, but she interrupted.

"Take them. I don't care what you do with them, just take them back."

The boy clutched us even tighter. "No. There mine." He growled. Both adults looked taken aback. He glared at the woman. "They're brothers. You can't take brothers away from each other. I won't let them be separated." She flinched and looked at the boy oddly.

The man took a deep breath. "Look, I know things are hard for you guys, of course. But Kouichi and I came up with a plan. He'll help me keep things picked up around here, and I'll pay him enough for food each month and the rest he can save for vet bills and other necessities. And look at them, they probably won't be very big when they're adults."

"What about the pet deposits? I don't have money to waste on those animals."

"Already covered it myself." The man answered.

Her face screwed up. "Why?"

"Well they needed a good home. And they couldn't ask for a better owner." He flashed a supportive smile at the boy. "Besides he seemed like he really needed them too. You know, some companionship. Don't worry Tomoko. You won't have to deal with them at all."

"I better not or else I'm taking it out on you." She glared at the man then walked away, disgusted.

"Sorry for that buddy." The man shrugged looking apologetic.

"No, I'm sorry. But, thanks. Thanks for sticking up for me." He forced a smile for the man and walked back to the apartment. On his march back, he kept his eyes on us. His little shoulders sagged and his head bowed slightly, but his eyes were aglow with fierceness. He was frazzled by the argument, but he had won.

"I won't let you be like me..." He leaned close and whispered. "You will be loved." He walked through the door, passed his mother without the slightest hint of acknowledgement, went straight to his room and shut the door. He set us on the bed and positioned himself beside us.

For a long time he sat as still as stone, staring down at his hands; the only movement from him was his breathing.

_We caused him this stress... _Brother said.

_And we also bring him pleasure, especially you. I think Lord Cherubimon had dual reasons for sending us to him. He was punishing me, of course, but I think his good side was grieved over this boy's situation and what he will go through in the Digital World. I think he sent us to ease some of his pain away._

_I hope we can... _Lobomon looked uncertain.

We watched him a little while longer.

_I can't take this..._ Lobomon said. He whined to draw the boy's attention.

He still didn't move.

Lobomon glanced at me worriedly and pawed at his arm. The boy tensed and looked at him. "What is it pup?" Brother pushed his way onto the boy's lap and stretched out. This brought a smile to the child's face.

He closed his eyes and caressed the tiny fluff ball in his lap. They stayed like that for a long time and for awhile his darkness lifted and he felt peaceful. Eventually his eyes opened and he looked from Lobomon to me.

"I can't call you guys pup forever. What should your names be?" He looked up, but still fondled Lobomon absentmindedly. "They have to mean something. They can't ordinary. But what?" He lifted my brother up to his chest and fell backward onto the bed. Lobomon sat on the boy's chest staring down at him. "I kinda like Grimm. My Papa used to read me their stories. Would you like that name?" My brother jumped up, wiggling around, wagging his tail which caused him to stumble and roll off the boy and onto the bed beside me.

"Are you okay?" The boy turned on his side and helped my brother right himself.

_Are you hurt?_ I asked him. He looked humiliated.

_I'm the Warrior of Light; I've taken far worse... _He remarked indignantly.

_Yes, but you have a tiny body now. Tiny bodies hurt more easily. _

_I'm fine._

"I guess you're Grimm if you like the name that much." He rubbed Lobomon's ear. Brother leaned into the touch. "Grimm." The boy whispered. "Now every time I call you, I'll remember my Papa." His emotions flared to a miserable, hopeless longing tempered with love and adoration.

"Grimm." He whispered again, smiling. 'Grimm' yapped and bounced around. "But what about you?" He focused on me. I cocked my head at his question.

"You're a loner. A lone wolf... You don't seem to like people much." The boy turned on his back and stared at the ceiling. "Fenrir." He nodded, satisfied. He looked at me. "Just don't bite _my_ hand off." He grinned.

I looked at Lobomon. _What does he mean?_

_I haven't a clue._

"Grimm and Fenrir. I like those. Do you like Fenrir?" My tail wagged on its own, which tickled the boy. "You've never wagged your tail at me before." He squeaked. "I didn't think you liked me." He reached out tentatively, and I licked his finger. He giggled and stroked down my back.

_It feels nice doesn't it?_ Lobomon commented.

_It actually does... _The boy scooted closer and rubbed under my muzzle. Then down my chest and stomach.

"Oh Fen." He gasped. I started. "You must be so hungry. You didn't eat any supper last night."

_Yes, you must be starving._ Lobomon looked at me concerned.

The boy looked at the clock on his nightstand and back at me uncomfortably. "It's still a few hours before mom has to go to her other job. I don't feel comfortable going out there right now. But you need to eat. And you must be hungry too Grimm. I know I am." He glanced nervously at the door. "She's probably asleep." He walked to the door, stopping to stare at us hesitantly before slipping out.

It was several minutes until he came back with an armful of food. He also had our leashes. He dropped everything onto the bed and divided things out.

"These are really good. They're hot dogs." He jerked and looked at us. "Oh, but they aren't made from dogs. That's just what they're called." He proceeded to slice them into little bits. He then tore us some bread and poured milk into a bowl which he placed on the plate by our food.

"Okay guys." Lobomon rushed forward and began gobbling. I followed, but took my time sniffing each thing.

_How's it taste Grimm?_

_Wonderful._ His tail wagged pleasantly. _Eat Fenrir. Don't be stubborn. _He laughed as he said my new name.

_Is my name amusing?_

_Not at all. I like it. I'm relieved you're feeling more comfortable. _I took a 'hot dog' and munched on it. It was good.

"You like it?" The boy asked. I had to hold myself back; I almost answered him out loud. I wagged my tail in response. Lobomon yipped happily.

_Try some milk._ Lobomon offered. I stretched and lapped up some of the white liquid.

_It's good. _

Lobomon and I soon made short work of the meal and the boy finished after us. He grabbed our leashes and fastened our collars.

"Got to take you two out real quick." He grabbed us up, walked swiftly to the front door and slipped on his shoes. Once we were past the stairs he let us down. We found a patch of grass.

"Ready to go in?" The boy asked after we were done. I thought about balking, but caught Lobomon's gaze and remembered the chunk he took out my back leg last night.

Once we were back in his room he shut the door and walked over to the substantial stack of books lying on the floor. He bent over them until he found the right one. "These books were my Papa's. All of them." He said as he walked back to the bed. "Actually, everything in those boxes were his. He left them behind when..." He scowled, but then forced a smile for us. "They're my treasures."

"Would you like me to read some of the Grimm's stories?" Lobomon danced around and my tail waggled. He cleared the plates off his bed, placed us on top of it and laid next to us.

_I miss my bed from our mansion in the dark forest. This one's so hard. _I complained.

_I miss mine too._

The boy squirmed. "I know this bed's not comfortable, but it has to better than that box, right?" We wagged our tails at him.

He smiled and read to us. After a short time his voice trailed off and the book tumbled off to the bed. I looked up to see he had fallen asleep.

_Hmm. He didn't sleep last night did he?_ I asked. Lobomon shook his head.

_It's not a pleasant sleep_. Brother commented.

_To be sure_. His jaw was set and forehead wrinkled. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut. His little hands were clenched so that they shook. Occasionally a whimper would come from him.

These were visible from the outside; I could sense the darkness in him boiling.

Lord Cherubimon was on mark when he picked this boy. With so much pain for me to draw from, our strength will be crushing. It was almost too much. I wondered if I could control the boy when the time came.

_I wonder what's going on in there. _I muttered. Is Lord Cherubimon was manipulating his dreams again? I felt a little guilty that I wouldn't be there with him in that frightening place...

_Should we wake him?_

I shook my head. _You have to choose the lesser of the two evils here. Everything needs sleep. Even if bad dreams come. He'll wake himself up soon anyway._

_This is a mess. _Lobomon whimpered. _A child shouldn't be so afraid that he hides in his room. And where is this father he was talking about? Why hasn't he saved him? _

I said nothing, which was okay because he didn't expect me to; I didn't have the answers.

"No." The boy cringed. His face screwed up. He grumbled something unintelligible and flung onto his other side. "Please..." He whined. "Don't leave..." His whole body tensed.

Lobomon and I only sat and watched in silence. Lobomon fidgeted. Even I wanted to jerk forward to help the boy. Before we could act on our impulses, he jumped up and rushed to the door. "Papa, don't go." He whimpered. He stood with his hands on the door, trembling.

"Papa?" He peeked around, disoriented. He stood still for several minutes before turning toward us. His face scrunched up, he looked ahead unseeing, tears threatening to spill onto his pasty cheeks. "That dream again..." He muttered. He stayed still, staring at the floor, his body shook so hard he wobbled on his feet.

Lobomon whined. The boy didn't notice. Lobomon drawled out a whimper. The boy looked at him, confused. Lobomon's head cocked to the side. "...Oh."

He walked over and sat beside him. "Did I scare you?" He laid back and stared at the ceiling. He didn't move, only staring upwards. This went on for half an hour while we watched.

Lobomon scuttled to his arm and touched it with his nose. The boy didn't stir. He touched him again. Again nothing.

Lobomon glanced at me worriedly. I walked over and sat near the boy's head.

_Let me try something brother._ I look at the child. _Boy, what happened to this papa of yours?_ I waited for his answer. It took him several minutes, but he didn't fail me.

"My papa..." He sat up and slowly pulled a picture out of the drawer of his nightstand. He curled up on the bed and sat the picture in front of us.

"This is my papa." We bent to examine the picture. The man looked young also; handsome, with his hair slicked back, grinning widely and holding a toddler who beamed up at him. The same bluish shade to his hair. The same sweet, shy smile. The same midnight blue eyes. Even the same features.

_He could easily be this boy grown up. _

_For sure. _Lobomon answered.

"He died when I was five." He said. "But... I have this dream sometimes that he walks away from me. He doesn't say a word or even looks at me no matter how much I call him. He shuts the door in my face and I never see him again. And mom is there too; I feel panicked because I don't want him to leave me with her. It almost feels like a memory, but Kaa-san told me he died..."

"He wouldn't have done that. I don't remember much about him, but I know he loved me."

_That's the most important thing to hold onto._ I offered.

"He used to read to me all the time. We did everything together. He was always patient and when I messed up, he didn't get mad. I still remember his smile... Or maybe it's just because I look at this picture so much." He looked at the photo and his face screwed up. "No, I remember him smiling at me. I remember how it made me feel in here," he patted his chest, "when he said how proud he was of me. I remember his eyes. I still feel his arms hugging me."

He looked at us. "Why did it have to be him? Grandma's pretty much gone too. I don't have any family now. Well except Kouga, but he can't help." His face turned red and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. His body shook with the beginning of sobs, but he pushed them down. When his eyes opened, he looked almost angry. He took a ragged breath.

"I won't cry. I'm strong. I'm gonna make him proud." We sat in silence for a while. How pitiful the situation turned out compared to the happy pair in the picture.

"His name's Kousei. Yeah, he was a great papa." He took the picture and hugged it to his chest. "I look just like him. That makes me happy." He smiled shyly.

"Could you guys be my family?" He asked. Lobomon barked exuberantly and I joined him. The boy smiled even wider.

Just then we heard a door shut. The boy glanced at his clock. "Mom's gone to work." He smiled, looking more at ease.

He lowered us to the floor, walked over and opened the door and vanished into the hallway.

_I don't blame him for being relieved she's gone._ Lobomon started after the boy, and I followed him.

Since I was behind my brother, I got a good view of his little puppy waddle. The light warrior renowned for his speed and gracefulness... I couldn't stop myself from giggling.

He looked at me questioningly. _I'm sorry; it's just you look so silly when you walk._

_You're aware you look the same?_ He answered crossly.

_I am. But I can't _see _myself. I do feel silly trying to move these little legs. _I held up my head, pricked my ears and tail up proudly and tried to prance only to stumble over a paw. This time Lobomon laughed. He started after the boy again, and I followed him.

We found him on the couch watching TV. He was intensely focused on it.

_Let's explore before he realizes we're missing._ I took off toward the kitchen. Lobomon trailed behind me. I sniffed around the perimeter. Nothing really interesting there. I tried prying open the cabinet door with my nose and then with a paw but wasn't strong enough.

_I can't even open a door_... I looked at brother pitifully. His little muzzle turned up at the ends, offering an apologetic smile.

Lobomon sniffed at the door. _Doesn't smell exciting anyway. _He said.

We walked down the hall past the living room. Past the boy's room was a room with an open door. It looked like the mouth of a cave it was so dark.

I knew in my mind there was nothing to fear from that room, but my puppy instincts were on full alert. I stretched out, sniffing, trying to identify what was in there. Lobomon was doing the same.

I sat down, staring into the abyss. _Good. I'm glad I'm not the only one acting stupid._

He chuckled. _It's silly now, but it might be smart not to completely disregard these instincts. _

We looked at each other. With a nod we crept into the room. I was relieved to find our eyes adjusted well to the darkness, not as good as our digimon forms, but well enough to see.

This was his mother's room for sure. Her scent was concentrated here. I moved along the middle of the floor sniffing. Still nothing interesting. We slipped under the bed. I stopped tracking here because it was so dusty I started to sneeze. We marched forward, bumping into a box that was hidden well under the bed.

_Somebody's got a secret... You don't push things this far under a bed unless you're hiding it_. I said.

My brother laughed. _Wonder what's in there?_ Lobomon started sniffing. I expected him to be thrown into a sneezing fit, but he kept sniffing. _It's not as dusty. The box, I mean._ I smelled it too. _I can't really smell anything with this weak puppy nose. Let's get out from under here Lowemon. I don't like it. _

We wandered back into the room. _This isn't as exciting as I hoped... _My brother remarked.

_I know, I know. I won't have to worry about Lord Cherubimon. I'll have withered away from boredom long before he can do anything to me._

I kept my eyes on him as we walked around the bed. I bumped into something. I heard it clatter and felt it graze my side. The puppy in me took over and I scooted towards the hall, wailing. Lobomon followed, the both of us skittered and slid down the hall, yowling the whole way. The boy hurried to us.

"What's wrong?" To my sincere chagrin, we both hid behind him, our tails tucked tightly between our legs. "It's okay." He said softly patting us.

_Brother, are you alright? _

_Yeah. Did you get hit too? _I asked.

_No._

_Why were you crying then? _

_I thought a creature was after us... _He replied.

The boy walked to the room and flipped the light on.

We peeked after him.

"Oh, you guys just knocked this umbrella down." The boy laughed. "Did either of you get hit?" He straightened it and walked back to us, closing the door. "You two don't need to go in there."

_And my pride plummets that much more._ I commented. _This is what I've been reduced to..._

_I can't really say much._ Brother answered back.

We followed the boy back to the living room, having a pity party the whole way.

The rest of the night was spent like the first. The boy fed us and we watched TV while the boy lay beside us trying to sleep.

The next morning was much different. The boy stirred early and began readying himself. We followed closely behind him as he went from room to room. Occasionally he'd throw a worried glance our way. Finally, he stopped in front of us with his head hanging.

"I have school today." I cocked my head. What's so bad about that? "I can't leave you here alone."

_We'll be fine boy._

"_He _might come." He whispered. "He likes to hurt people. I'll have to take you." He grabbed the bag we were in the first night and put us inside. "It's going to awful, I know, but I'm not sure what else to do." He zipped it closed, but left a little air hole for us. "I'll just carry my books." I heard him say.

The day went by painfully slow. Atrociously slow. We couldn't even sleep the hours away, because the chattering of the children and their teacher. He was only able to let us out to the bathroom once... When I was well beyond my wit's end, even poor brother was showing the strain, the bag lifted and we were moving again.

"Hey, Ichi." Someone called out. Sounded like another boy.

"Hey Kouga."

"How was today?"

"Fine. You want to see something neat?" Our boy asked.

"Always."

"Hold on. I can't show you here. And you can't tell anyone that I brought them."

"Sure. Super top secret?"The other boy asked.

"Yep."

We walked on for awhile listening as they prattled on about their days.

"This should be far enough." The bag was lowered. The boy unzipped it and peeked anxiously at us. "Are you okay?" This sent a tremor through brother's body; he danced and wiggled as the boy stroked him.

"Puppies!" The other gasped. He pushed his head against our boy's and stared at us.

I was shocked to see he looked quite like the boy. Same shade of blue in his hair. Same eyes. Although his features differed slightly. And this boy was a bit older by a couple years.

"You did so good. I thought you two might want to stretch your legs." He fastened our collars and took us out of the bag, replacing us with the books he'd been carrying. "Just let me know when you get tired. It's not too much further anyway."

"Where'd you get them?" 'Kouga' asked as he pet Lobomon.

"My landlord found them. He said I could have them both."

"Wow. Your mom have a fit?" Our boy nodded. "What's their names?"

"Fenrir has the red collar. Grimm has the black."

"Those are great names. I like them."

We ambled on. Both boys good-naturedly walked beside us, slow enough to accommodate our little puppy legs.

We continued on for a while until both boys stopped. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ichi. Are you going to bring them agai..." He trailed off and frowned. "You kinda have to don't you. Because of Toshio." Kouga said.

"Yeah. I have to." Our boy answered.

"Call if you need me." The other boy offered. "I'll come beat him up for you."

Our boy chuckled. "Thanks. See ya tomorrow."

We watched as the other boy took off toward his home.

It took a few seconds for me to realize that the boy's apartment complex was only a few steps further. But the boy halted. His darkness flared. I looked up to see a fearful, dread had settled on his face.

He glanced nervously at us. "You guys... You have to go back in the bag." He pulled his books out and in we went.

_What's wrong?_ Brother asked.

_I don't know. _

"His car's in the parking lot. You have to be quiet. He's here; he can't see you." He zipped the bag. We were lifted up and he began to walk.

His darkness churned even more than when he had the confrontation with his mother.

I looked at brother who squirmed into the blanket trying to hide. He was definitely picking up on the boy's negative energy.

I could sense it as well, of course, but I sensed another darkness which we were heading straight towards. This one differed from the boy; it was tainted with wickedness and rage.

The door opened and the boy walked briskly in.

"Kouichi." A man's voice called out. The boy stopped. "Get me another drink." There was a distinct slur to his words.

"Okay, just let me put up my bag." He answered.

"Now." I heard the books the boy was carrying hit the floor; we were lowered as well.

We listened as he walked away.

For the first several seconds we could only sit and wait. We could hear the two humans speaking, but the bag muffled the sound; they both spoke softer. I couldn't make out too many of the words.

Eventually brother turned to me. He was trembling; we both were.

_Brother— _He stopped when we heard the quiet footsteps of the boy approaching.

We tumbled as the bag was jerked up. A door was shut behind us.

The boy ripped the zipper open and yanked us out. His face was sheer panic.

"You need to hide." He whispered, pushing us under his bed. "Go to the furthest corner and don't come out. Stay there." He hissed. We scurried to the corner.

_I want to run away._ I whined.

_Don't brother..._

_I'm trying. _These puppy instincts were overriding my common sense. My rational, confident self was slipping away; I wanted to bolt. Brother pressed against my side to calm me.

We both jerked when the door knob rattled. "Open the door." The man said.

"Coming." I locked eyes with the boy. He looked so afraid.

He stood and unlocked the door. We could see the man step further in the room from where we hid. "Well, where are they? Tomoko told me you got a couple of dogs. I said I'd help take care of them." He chuckled ominously at the last part.

The boy didn't say anything. The man took a threatening step toward him and he backed away. "Where are they?"

The boy tried to stammer out an answer, but nothing came. "Stupid boy." His voice rose. There was a smack. I thought he'd struck the boy until one of the boxes that were stacked opposite the bed crashed to the floor.

I bolted. The thing you never do when hiding from a foe more powerful. Now he knew where my brother was, and after he'd dealt with me, Lobomon would be next.

I darted past them, vaguely hearing the boy gasp and creepy laughter from the man, and out the door. I heard running behind me and froze.

Something draped over me. I realized it was the boy; he'd thrown himself on top of me.

"Get off of it." The man yelled. He attempted to pry the child off me, but the boy only clenched tighter.

"You little brat; I only wanted a look." I felt a blow from the boy's side. And another and another. They almost knocked us over.

Over the man's growling and grumbling, and the thuds of the blows he was inflicting on the boy; the boy himself made no sound, I heard yipping. The boy flinched.

_No brother! Find a safe place to hide. _I called out to him.

He answered with more barking, even closer. Then the man shrieked angrily.

The blows stopped. I could hear the man going after Lobomon. The boy sat up and we looked. He swung at brother, but he dodged. The man chased him to a corner.

Brother looked pitiful. Every hair on his body stuck out, his head hung low, ears back, snarling.

Had he been Kendo-Garurumon he would've been fearsome, but in this form he only drew a laugh from his opponent.

If he could kick this frail little boy, what would he do to an even more helpless puppy? If only I could change to my digimon form. I could save us. Instead I was the cause of this all.

The man shot a look at the back of his ankle. Blood trickled from a tiny bite wound. "Oh, you're going to get it." He said as he reached for brother.

The boy snatched me up and hurried to them. He launched himself at the man; his fist connecting with the man's cheek. The man tumbled to the floor.

He grabbed Lobomon and ran to his room, locking the door. He dropped us and glanced around as if the key to our salvation rested somewhere in his room.

"Hide." He said to us while he rubbed his side.

There was a crash at the door. Then another. The boy stumbled back. "Hide." He whimpered. We didn't have time, the lock broke and the door flew open.

The man grabbed him and dragged him out to the hall. We stood still not knowing what to do.

"I'm sick of you." The man growled. We heard next a crack, crack, crack. We crept to the door and peeked out. The man had him by the shoulders smashing his head on the hall floor.

The boy's darkness flared. But instead of the fear he had felt moments before, he was livid, indignant. He glared up at his abuser, his jaw tight, his fists clenched. This only made the man angrier. He slammed him harder to the floor.

_What do we do?_ Lobomon asked, panicked. The floor was turning red under the boy.

The man paused when the front door opened. The boy's mother walked in.

A savior! Mine and Lobomon's tails wagged frenziedly.

She frowned when she saw the man. She walked towards her room, but stopped when she caught the looks on mine and Lobomon's faces. Her eyebrows rose.

"What are you doing here?" The man slurred.

"This is my apartment." She countered. "I forgot something I need for work." She looked at the boy.

"Just stop, he's not worth getting so angry over..." The boy looked at her, hurt. She didn't notice. "Look at this." She scowled at the thick puddle of blood that had formed under the boy's head. "Just go and sober up." The man gave him one last slam for good measure, stood and took off out the front door.

The boy struggled to move. It was obvious something was wrong. He couldn't control his limbs. The best he managed was to flop on his side. Lobomon waddled to him. His white paws contrasted blaringly with the red.

I inched toward them. Lobomon licked the boy's nose. He stared fearfully at brother; his anger from before had dissolved.

His mother rushed past us with some clothing draped over her arm. Brother yipped to her, but she ignored him and slipped out the front door. We stood in shock as we heard it being latched.

Tears splashed down the boy's nose and cheek. He tried to speak; it came out in whimpers. Lobomon nuzzled him then looked at me alarmed. _What do we do?_

* * *

><p>***<strong>Grimm and Fen's names***<strong>

I love fairy tale books; the brothers Grimm collected some of my favorite stories. Plus I kept hearing the advertisement for that new show Grimm and thought it sounded good.

Fenrir is a creature in Norse mythology. He was a gigantic wolf and Loki, the god of mischief's, son.

He was evil and several times the gods tried to restrain him, but he always broke free, so they asked the dwarves to fashion something strong enough to bind him.

They issued a challenge to Fenrir to see if he could break the ribbon. At first he declined; he sensed it was a trap, but eventually he agreed. But his condition was that one of the gods would have to place a hand in his mouth and if it was a trap, Fenrir would bite it off. The god, Tyre agreed and when the wolf couldn't break free, off came Tyre's hand.

* * *

><p>Please don't go by me; I don't know Japanese, but this is my understanding of what these words mean.<p>

-san: An honorific attached to show respect or when speaking to someone who is your superior.

Kaa-san: Mom


	3. Convalesce

**Author's notes:**

Yay! I can't say how happy I am to be done with this chapter. Sorry it took so very long for me to update. I have several valid excuses and a few not so good ones as to why it took forever, but I won't bore you with them.

Thank you so much to all who read/reviewed my story. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. I'm off to celebrate with a slice of strawberry cake and a good book.

I do not own Digimon.

* * *

><p>`<em>What can we do?<em> I wondered.

Lobomon kissed the boy's cheek. "You are worth it." He spoke out loud. The boy's eyes widened. "What your mother said is not true. You are worth it." He repeated firmer. "You're a good boy." A pitiful whine escaped the boy and he sobbed; Lobomon pressed his face to the child's forehead.

_Lowemon __there's too much blood__... _Brother moaned.

After picking a foot up and examining the crimson on my paw, I backed away from them. There's nothing two puppies could do but maybe… This event had surely drawn Lord Cherubimon's notice; hopefully the boy's suffering had touched him enough to assist me.

"Master, please let me take the form of this boy's father. Give me enough time to clean him up. What good is he to you like this?" I whispered, hoping he would hear me, but the boy would not. Brother looked back at me.

_I'll permit it. _Master answered. I felt myself changing, rising up on my hind legs and growing larger. When it was over, I kneeled in front of the boy.

For seconds the boy looked at me in disbelief. He loosed a piercing wail and reached for me. "Shh. Papa's here with you." This man's voice… It sounded very much like an adult version of the boy's. How strange it was to hear it coming from my lips.

I picked him up, supporting his head, and cradled his body to mine. He quieted, content to be in his supposed father's arms. I looked at Lobomon. "Do you know where the washroom is?" He shook his head.

I remembered seeing a doorway between the living room and bedrooms. I took off in its direction with brother following. Sure enough I was right. After flicking the light on, I sunk to the cool tile floor with the boy. He smiled at me fondly.

I owed the boy for his loyalty in saving my brother and me, so I forced my kindest smile. I wiped at the slick blood on his cheek even though the stifling scent of said blood made my stomach twist.

"I miss you papa."

"I know. I miss you every day." I replied.

"Papa I want to come with you." He struggled to speak. "I want to be with you now."

"I wish we could be together, but I want you to live. I feel like you have an important future."

He frowned and his face flushed. More tears crowded his eyes. "And you can't stay here." He whimpered. "I don't want to be with mom. She doesn't like me." What do I say to that?

_Call him Ichi. His father called him that. _Lord Cherubimon coached.

_That still doesn't help me know what to say..._ I fussed, not that Lord Cherubimon could hear.

I leaned close to his face and said my first thought. "It's not you Ichi. We weren't getting along well at the end. It's me she doesn't like, and you remind her of me." That was pretty good. The boy will like that too.

He was silent. A smile settled on his haggard face. "I'm like you?" I nodded. "Then I don't mind if she doesn't like me." He snuggled closer and clenched my shirt.

"How's your head Ichi?"

"I'm okay. I'm happy you're here. Papa are you happy where you are?" He looked at me worriedly.

"I'm happy because I get to watch over you." I wanted badly to look at brother but stayed focused on the boy. _Lobomon, I don't know what happens to humans when they die.__.. I'm not sure what to say. _I attempted to speak with him.

To my relief he answered. _You're doing excellent Lowemon._

"Does it make you sad because I'm not okay?" The boy asked.

"It does. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. But you're strong. You saved Fen and Grimm." He smiled shyly. I could see him wanting to ask if I liked the names. "I love the names you choose." He beamed and hid his face in my chest.

"I was happy to hear that you remember me." I said. He peeked at me. "I heard what you told your puppies yesterday." Well that's not entirely untrue since I was one of the puppies…

"I could never forget you papa." He said earnestly.

"Now listen. I want to tell you some things, and I want you to remember them." He waited for me to continue. "I love you more than anything. Nothing will ever change that."

"Not even what I tried to do last week?"

"Of course not."

"Was it you papa? Did you save me?" Uh...

_Say yes._ Lord Cherubimon said.

"Yes." I answered.

He teared up. "I won't do it again."

"It's okay. I'm proud of you. You were brave protecting your puppies. You're going to grow up to be a good man."

"Thanks papa. Kaa-san never says anything nice about me." That cruel, horrid woman…

"This is hard on you huh?" His bottom lip quivered and he bit it trying to rein in his emotions, but he wasn't able and started to cry. "Oh buddy… I'm so sorry." I gripped him tight as he sobbed.

After awhile he forced himself to stop. "I'm sorry papa."

"We all feel like crying sometimes. I want you to sleep now. I won't be here when you wake up, but know I love you always. I'm so proud you're my little boy."

"I love you too. I'm proud you're my papa." He leaned into my chest, his eyes started to close, but he jerked. "Oh papa, thanks for the presents. I love each of them." Presents?

"You're very welcome." I bent closer to him. He kissed me on the lips. I gasped. "You stole a kiss from me." I mock-scolded. He giggled. I gave him a return peck on his nose and leaned my head against his.

I looked at Lobomon. He nodded encouragingly. The boy gripped my fingers; I squeezed his hand. I could feel his little body relaxing. It took several minutes, but the boy finally drifted off.

"How did I really do?" I asked, leaning against the wall. The emotional high from before was slipping and coupled with my long day, I felt drained.

I took a moment to stare at the boy. He was so small in my arms; I felt an urge rising in me, a desire to protect him. "You did great brother." Feelings for a human child? I was so shocked by my discovery that I could only gape at Lobomon dumbly. "Lowemon?"

I glanced back at the boy. "I need to clean him up."

Lobomon looked around and stopped when he faced a closet. "Towels brother."

"Yes, towels." I stood and walked to the closet. Balancing the boy in one arm, I pulled several out; we all needed to clean up.

I stretched one out to lay the boy on after his washing, brother grabbed the edges in his mouth and help straighten it, the others I sat beside the shower. Lobomon took his place beside the stack.

"You would've done better." I said. I stepped over Lobomon and sat on the shower's floor with the boy in my lap and pulled off my blazer. I threw it over Lobomon, out the shower's door.

"You did a fine job, truly." He looked at me seriously. "This isn't your fault."

I stripped the boy of his clothes and noticed his little body was peppered with marks. Not just the patch that covered his side but other ones in differing shades of purple and black.

"Lobomon do you know what these are?"

"They're bruises. It happens when a human is hit hard enough. The blood pools under the skin." He answered, looking at the child. "Poor boy." He said. I grumbled, feeling my anger intensifying, but I pushed it down. I had to get this done. It was chilly in here.

I grabbed the shower's nozzle, faced it away from us and turned the water on, alternating between cold and hot till it was right.

"It is my fault. You can say he would've hit him anyway, and he would have. I've no doubt about that. But it wouldn't have been this bad. The boy defying him to protect me is what set him off."

"To protect us," He corrected, "It's that man's fault. And the mother's. But anyway, you did a superb job soothing him." I looked at brother hesitantly and then turned my attention to the boy. I rinsed the back of his head, his cheek and temple, then his neck and back where the blood had crept while I held him. I gagged. The warm water made the blood's smell even stronger.

I rubbed a little soap on the boy, rinsed him again and placed him on the towel, making sure to turn his head so it was lying on its side and not aggravating his wound.

"Brother you're drenched."

"It's okay. I won't be in this form for long." I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked a mess. The boy's blood on 'my' face, and clothes, and dripping wet from the chest down. I could see a ghostly stain on the dress shirt I wore, but the deep purple of the shirt offset it. "Heh. This guy certainly dressed smartly." Lobomon agreed, saying he very much wished he could find such clothes in the Digital World.

I stripped bare and wrapped a towel around my waist. "Don't want to scare the child if he happens to wake up before I turn back." I said. Lobomon laughed.

"It's worse than I thought. I couldn't see these." He stepped closer and rose up on his hind legs, examining the bruises on the boy's chest.

"He's had a rough time for sure." I kneeled beside him. "So, I clean him up. Then what?" I wiped the towel down his chest and stomach then his arm. "That man will come back. He could even be on his way now."

Lobomon's body sagged. "I don't know. I don't regret coming here."

I nodded. "Let that man come now while I have this body. I'll kill him."

Brother smiled. "Yes. Kouichi's father's naked ghost… You wouldn't even need to touch him. Just seeing that would cause death from fright if he walked in and caught sight of you."

"I'm serious." The mental picture that his words summoned… I couldn't help snicker, even though I felt engulfed by the boy's bleak circumstances. I reined myself. "I'm serious." I even made my voice sound so.

He smirked at me. "What?" I grumbled. I already knew what he was about to say.

"You care for a human." He teased. "Unlike the others, I knew you were capable, but I never thought I'd actually see it happen." I ignored him for a bit and dried the boy's head, being careful as I dabbed the back where his wound was.

"I do like him." I whispered. Lobomon's tail wagged slightly.

When he was dry I carried him to his room. I laid him on his bed and went to his closet to find some warm clothes to dress him in. Once clothed, I tucked his blanket around him and grabbed Lobomon.

I had to laugh. His body was hardly bigger than this man's hand. He seemed to understand the reason for my mirth because he grinned at me showing off his pointy puppy teeth.

"I hope we aren't so small when we're adult dogs, but the landlord said we probably won't grow too large." He said.

"As if he has the final say..." I walked to the bathroom with my 'little' brother. "I want to be huge. I'll be as big as Lord Cherubimon."

Lobomon smiled. "You'll have a hard time fitting in this apartment." I shrugged.

"If we're big, we can protect him." I placed brother by the sink and fiddled with the faucet till the water turned warm.

"Ready to be white again?" He nodded. I held him under the water and rubbed his paws, where most of the blood had saturated. "Too warm?"

"It's perfect. Feels nice actually." When I was done, I wrapped him in a towel and stroked him till he was dry—which took some time because of his dense fur.

I put him down and went to clean up the mess in the other room. I sopped up the blood and scrubbed the floor from the hall to the bathroom with soapy water, giving the old beaten up floor a nice luster. It looked even better than before except for a sinister crack in the wood. I then put brother in with the boy and showered myself, the warmth feeling wonderful to my chilled skin.

Finally done, I sat on the boy's bed. I hesitated. If that man came back now, I could protect them, but as soon as I take on that puppy form, we're all vulnerable.

Brother sat beside me. "You might as well Lowemon. Maybe he won't come back tonight."

_Are you __through__? _Lord Cherubimon asked. I didn't answer._ I don't sense he'll come back tonight. He's already settled himself at another woman's house._

"One thing. What did he try to do last week?" I already had a feeling…

For moments there was silence. I caught brother's eyes, but said nothing, waiting.

_He wanted to be with his father. He jumped from a bridge._ I cringed. _I __intervened once I realized he couldn't swim and placed him on the river's bank._

"That serious huh… You must really want him, to go out of your way to save him. That's not like you. Not nowadays." I goaded. "Perhaps it would have been kinder to let him reunite with his father?"

_No, i__t would not. He wouldn't find him there. And I was my old self when that took place. I couldn't allow him to make such a mistake._

"...Okay." I whispered. At once I was a puppy again.

I relayed the master's message to Lobomon. He looked disturbed but finally spoke. _At least we're safe tonight._

_It doesn't mean he won't change his mind and come back._ Those blasted fearful puppy instincts were crushing me again. Lobomon sensed this and licked my muzzle.

Our attention was drawn by the boy stirring. He sat up and immediately cringed and clutched his head. He peeked around warily until his eyes settled on us. "He's gone isn't he?" His lips trembled, and he was silent for a moment.

He slowly pushed off the bed, walked unsteadily to the door and looked out to the hallway. "He cleaned up for me." He squinted back at us. "It's not safe here."

_Boy, you should lie down._ I barked. The boy covered his ears.

"Please. Quiet." He hissed. "I need to think." He sat beside us. After awhile, he grabbed his bag, walked to his closet and jammed some clothes in. He added his school books also and a few other necessities. He picked the book he'd read to us from yesterday and stooped in front of his nightstand. After opening the drawer, he pulled out some pictures and flipped through them. He held one out to us.

"I want to give this one to Kouga. It has his dad in it, but it has mine too. I don't have a lot of pictures of papa, but Kouga doesn't have any of his…" He slipped the pictures in the book, pushed the book in the bag and dropped the bag on his bed.

"I'm glad I put the breakables in the bottom boxes." He knelt beside the scattered contents of the box the man had knocked over. He righted it and reverently placed the things back in.

I whimpered. _Boy if we're going__ someplace__ we need to go now. He could come back anytime._ He looked at me sadly and continued with his task.

"This was my papa's. He was starting to teach me…" He noticed how we looked at the black case he held in his lap. "Oh, it's called a violin. Kouga can play too. He's been helping me. I'm starting to get good at it." He stood and rubbed his side. "He always does it where the bruises don't show. But she saw this time and she didn't care..." He continued to his closet and hid the instrument in a corner.

He left the room and returned soon after with a device. He pecked on it with a finger and held it to his ear.

"Hello?" I growled at the disembodied voice; the boy shushed me.

"Hi." His hands trembled. "Can we stay with you?"

"He hurt you again?" The voice asked. The boy hesitated. "Okay. I'm coming. Is he there now?"

"No." The boy said.

"Go to your landlord's. Go right now. I'll pick you up there. What's his apartment number?"

"112."

"I'll be there soon."

The boy lowered the device, pulled the bag over his shoulder and lifted us. He opened the door and stared into the night, not taking a step until he was sure it was safe. He moved quickly past a few doors till he reached the right one. He knocked. After a few moments, the door opened.

"Kouichi? Are you okay?" The boy kept his eyes fixed on the ground.

The man looked worried. "Come in." He stepped aside and the boy obeyed.

"Did something happen?" When the boy didn't answer, the man took hold of his shoulders. The boy's head still hung so the man didn't see his jaw clench. "Do you need to stay here for a while?"

"I'm going to sleep over at my cousin's. Is it okay if I stay here till he picks me up? He doesn't live far."

"Sure you can." They walked to a couch and sat down. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"No thank you." The boy whispered, hunched over us. They sat in awkward silence. The man studied the boy, looking distressed and uncertain.

Shortly after a knock sounded at the door causing everyone to jump. The landlord stood and we followed him. The door was opened the other boy we met earlier, Kouga I believe was his name, stood on the other side. He watched the boy intently. "Hey Ichi." Our boy walked to his cousin's side.

"Kouichi." The landlord said. The boy turned around stiffly. "If you need me, call okay. You have my number?" He sounded genuinely concerned.

"I do. Thank you."

Noticing that the boy didn't wear a coat, Kouga pulled his jacket off and offered it to the boy. "Put this on." We were passed over to the landlord and his bag was dropped on the ground while he slipped it on. "And I'll take them." Kouga lifted the bag and took us from the landlord.

"Be careful boys."

"Thanks Kazuo-san." The boy said.

"Let's go Ichi." Kouga said. They walked away quietly; the younger boy sticking close to the other. Every so often he would stumble and the other boy would slow his pace. Midway through our walk, his little hand snaked into the other's free one. Kouga smiled at him.

Both boys halted when they heard a boom off a ways. The boy looked at his cousin troubled.

"You heard that too?" They looked to the other people on the street who were oblivious to the sound. "I'm glad. I thought I was the only one. It's scary huh? Anyway we'll be home soon."

Kouga led us across streets and weaved through alleyways until we came upon his house. The children moved silently up some stairs and into a room. The boy went straight to a bed and collapsed.

"What happened Ichi?" Kouga put us down. He walked over and helped the boy out of his coat and then pulled off his shoes. The boy told him.

"You can stay here of course. I'm happy you're here." He sat on the side frowning. "I shouldn't have left you. I felt like I needed to go with you but I didn't."

"It's not your fault. I knew he was there, and I went in. Are you sure your grandparents won't mind?"

"I'm sure. You know they don't mind. Besides, they probably won't even notice you're here." The boy's eyes widened and he frowned.

"It's over now. You and the puppies are safe." Kouga said, biting back a smile at the boy's reaction. "My grandpa has a heating pad. That might help with the pain." Kouga walked towards the door.

"Will he need it?" The boy asked.

"Nah, he has several." The older boy said, hurrying out the door.

I looked around. The room was easily bigger than the boy's. It looked like any normal child's room I imagined. Playthings strewn here and there, but the room wasn't overly messy. On the wall opposite the bed sat a TV, other smaller machines sat around it. A desk and small bookcase claimed the rest of the space, resting between two windows.

I returned to brother, who hadn't moved from the bed's side, and we sat for a few minutes listening to the boy's ragged breathing. He struggled to sit up and looked over the bed at us.

"Are you cold down there? Do you want to come up?" He asked.

_No boy. Just lay down._ I said.

_We can wait for your cousin._ Brother added.

He started off the bed. "No Ichi. Don't get up." Kouga scolded as he reappeared. He placed a bottle and a glass of water on the nightstand. He moved to the boy's side and draped something over his pillow and the bed. He took the cord and attached it to the wall. He picked up the bottle and studied it.

"It says two every six hours for twelve and older." He made a face and looked at the boy. "One should be fine for a seven year old." He shook a tablet out of the bottle. The boy popped it in his mouth and helped it down with the water.

"Thanks." He snuggled into the sheets. "Mmm. It's getting warm." The older boy smiled. "Can we sleep with the TV on?"

"Sure." Kouga picked us up and put us beside the boy. We toddled to him and cuddled close to his chest. Indeed the bed underneath us was toasty. The other boy grabbed the control off the bed, pressed a button before turning his lamp off and settling beside us.

_This day… _Brother said.

_I know. _I curled closer to him and leaned my head on his side.

_I guess it's your turn to be sleepy. _He licked my forehead.

_Mmm… _Brother laughed._You're not tired? _I asked.

_I am. _He said.

In a very short time I was out.

I came to in an obnoxiously familiar place. I looked around at the black fog until my eyes settled on a small figure. Small?

I looked down. Instead of petite white paws, I saw my own feet and my clothes. I twirled around to see my flaxen tail. I was myself again!

The boy watched fascinated. When he realized I'd noticed him watching he looked away quickly.

No. Things have changed. "Boy." He flinched and turned his head toward me but didn't look me in the eye. "What's your name boy? And look at me when you speak." Of course I knew his name but he didn't know that; he'd never told me in our dream visits.

He forced his head up, and it was hard for him, but he held my gaze. "I'm Kouichi. What's your name?"

"Lowemon." He smiled timidly when I sat beside him. We took a long look at each other; the boy couldn't hold his end for long and turned his attention ahead, blushing fiercely.

"How are you?" Stupid question but I wanted to give him an opening to speak about the incident.

"I'm okay." He peeked into the darkness around us. "I'm glad the eyes aren't here."

"The eyes. Don't worry about those right now. How do you feel?"

He was hesitant. "My head hurts a little."

"A little or a lot?"

He fidgeted. "A lot."

I nodded. "What happened to make your head hurt?" He frowned. I could see he wanted me to stop. He interested himself in everything other than my face, which was hard since there was only darkness around us. "Boy? What happened?" I wanted to hear it from him.

He opened his mouth then bit his lip. "Can I touch your ear?" As soon as the words came out he looked mortified.

I couldn't help laughing. That was his best evasive maneuver? "What is your fascination with my ears and tail?" He shrugged.

I leaned my head down not breaking our gaze. He looked shocked, but then smiled widely. He reached up and tugged on my ear. "It's really on there."

"Of course it is. Did you think it would fall off?" I laughed again. He grinned. His hand inched to my tail. He looked at me for an okay. I nodded and he pulled it too.

"Why do you have ears and a tail like a dog?" He asked. I showed him my teeth. "And fangs too!" He gasped.

"I don't know. It's just part of me like your black hair is part of you." I said. "Okay. What happened? Between us."

He fidgeted."Mom's boyfriend. He got mad because I wouldn't let him see my puppies. He would've hurt them."

"You protected your dogs? That's brave."

He beamed. "That's what papa said. He died when I was little. He came back to take care of me, but he couldn't stay…"

"He must have loved you fiercely."

"Yep." He hugged his knees. "Do you think papa will come back if it happens again?"

"I'm sure your father wants to see you desperately, but he wouldn't want you to be hurt." He sighed. We sat in silence for awhile.

"Ichi-sama." I said.

He giggled. "Sama? That doesn't belong behind my name."

"I think it does. For someone so brave." He blushed.

"Ichi-sama. I like how that sounds. That's what I'll call you." He covered his face with his hands, but I saw he was smiling.

"Lowemon-san, what are the eyes?" He said once he'd recovered.

"Please just Lowemon. The eyes belong to an evil creature. He used to be good, but now he likes to cause others pain. Has he done anything to you?"

"No. I just see the eyes. And they always look mean." He narrowed his eyes, mimicking what he must have seen before. "Sometimes there are teeth too."

"Has he spoken to you?"

"The first time you came here I heard a voice call your name. Was that him?" I nodded. "He has a scary voice."

"That he does. It's very deep." I felt a pull back to consciousness. "I guess our time is up. I'll see you later."

"Bye." He hugged me tightly.

I stiffened. "Uh…" I muttered. He laughed when he looked at my face.

I awoke to a stirring by my side. I opened my eyes to see Lobomon sitting upright.

_Good morning brother._ He said.

_Morning._ I stretched. We watched as the older boy bustled around getting ready for school. When he noticed us awake, he carried us outside for a bathroom break. Next stop was the kitchen. He fed us cereal and we went back to Ichi-sama who was starting to wake up. He watched groggily as Kouga sat us on the bed and some toast, smothered with red goo, and a glass of milk on the nightstand.

Ichi-sama sat up awkwardly and looked at us. "Hi." He said. Lobomon walked to him and received a petting. He reached over a stroked me next. "It's time for school?" He said to his cousin.

"You can't go to school."

"But I have to." Ichi-sama whined.

"You're hurt too bad. Don't worry. I have a plan." Kouga walked to the door dragging his book bag behind him.

"What is it?" The boy asked.

"I'll tell you when I get back. I don't have time right now. Eat your breakfast." He motioned toward it. "The pain medicine is by your plate. Don't take more than one until I get back. I already took the puppies out and fed them. Do you need me to help you with anything before I go?"

"I'm okay." The boy looked at the clock. "You're not late…"

"Got to go Ichi. Lie down and rest okay." He smiled and shut the door behind him. Ichi-sama sulked but did as told. It only took a few minutes before he was asleep again.

I walked to the silver, rectangular device I'd seen the children use to control the TV and pressed buttons with my paw. Brother laughed when the picture changed. He came to my side.

_It's this one here._ I indicated the button with my nose. He pushed it and it changed again. We laughed. We spent several hours like this. The boy slept and we flipped through shows.

I burrowed into the covers when I heard steps outside the room and rumbled softly. Kouga opened the door and laughed when he saw me. "Hey pups." He whispered. We wagged at him. "Do you need to go out? I bet you're about to burst." He took us outside and before we ascended the stairs, he stopped by the kitchen, made some sandwiches and grabbed some snacks and drinks.

When we reentered the room, the boy was sitting up looking about disoriented. He smiled when the other boy sat on the bed with us. Kouga opened a bag, set it between them and handed his younger cousin one of the drinks.

Ichi-sama dug into the bag, pulled out something thin and circular and slipped it into his mouth. The crunch was divine.

_I have to have one._ I wandered to the front of the bag, and had crawled halfway in before I heard laughter was pulled backward.

"You can't go in there. We don't want puppy flavored chips." Kouga said.

_It smells good._ Brother had ventured to the bag's opening and was sniffing. _I want one too._ He lifted his head and yodeled. Both boys giggled, which caused Ichi-sama flinch and rub at his head. He pulled one out and halved it, handing us a both a half. I scrambled to the end of the bed, growling, and savored my prize.

Brother watched me with his half of the wondrous morsel hanging from his lips. _Lowemon __n__o one's going to steal your food__._

_It's these puppy instincts. Plus I can't be bothered to keep myself in check._

_You never could be bothered. _He laughed.

"How'd you do while I was gone?" Kouga asked.

"I slept all day. But it was weird. I had a dream that Fen and Grimm were watching TV. They were even changing the channels with the remote." The children laughed again. I locked eyes with brother who looked amused.

"So what happened with your plan?" Ichi-sama asked.

"I went to your mom before school and got her to write a letter excusing you for the rest of this week."

"How did you do that?"

"I said I would tell everyone what she let Toshio do to you and that she leaves you alone all the time and doesn't feed you enough. She didn't like it, but she did it."

_Oh._ I giggled. _I like you boy._

_So do I. _Brother said. Our impression of the other boy increased further when he grabbed two chips, not even bothered to halve them, and threw them to us.

"What did she say? Was she mean to you?" Ichi-sama asked.

"All she really said was she never liked my dad. And that she thought I was a goofy kid, but I'm just as manipulative as the other Minamotos." He appeared quite proud.

They chatted and finished eating, occasionally throwing us castoffs of their dinner. Afterwards Ichi-sama sunk into the bed.

"Tell me about your papa again." Kouga asked.

"Oh I forgot. Can you get my bag?" Kouga retrieved the boy's bag and dropped it on the bed. The boy pulled out his book and leafed through it, removing the pictures and handing one to the other boy. "I found these stuffed in one of papa's books. They're the only pictures I have." He handed the others to Kouga.

Kouga studied the first one. "He really did wear a patch." He said in awe. "That's like the coolest thing in the world." He squealed.

"That's the only one I have of your dad. But it has our other grandparents in it. You can have it."

"Are you sure?" Ichi-sama nodded. "Thanks Ichi." He said, studying it.

Ichi-sama tenderly stroked his forehead while he watched his cousin admire the picture. Even after sleeping for hours, he looked fatigued and dark under his eyes. I wilted, feeling the blame for his injuries rest solely with me.

The boy noticed my shame. He pushed himself up and hugged me. "Don't feel bad Fen. He would've done it anyway. It's not your fault."

The boy nested back into the covers, hugging them close. "My papa liked to read."

"Did he like manga?"

"Yep. He had bunches of them. I have them now. And we used to play video games all the time. He had lots of those too. I got all his things when he died. I even have his clothes. I wouldn't let Kaa-san throw anything away."

"He was so nice and patient with me." He peeked at his cousin who was still looking at the picture. "Kouga… After Toshio hurt me, I saw him."

The other boy stared at Ichi-sama. "Your papa?" The boy nodded.

"He held me in the bathroom and told me how much he loved me and he was proud of me. I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was cleaned up and the blood in the hall was cleaned up. So it wasn't just a dream." It all came out in a hasty ramble, without him inhaling even once, and he froze to observe the older boy take in his words.

To other boy's credit, he recovered swiftly. "He came back to help you? He really is a great Tou-san." Kouga said.

The boy continued. "And he brings me presents too. Every birthday and Christmas there are presents outside the front door."

Kouga smiled. "He really does love you."

"Yeah. When I told grandma, she said not to tell mom about them, so I make sure to get to the door before she can." The boy fidgeted.

_If he can put presents out, hasn't he recovered enough to take care of the boy?_ I caught an odd look on Lobomon's face. _What?_

_Humans aren't like digimon. When they die, they don't come back… What if he's not dead?_

_Ichi-sama mentioned __grandparents and an uncle__. Maybe they're bringing __gifts in the father's place_. I said.

_Ichi-sama? _He looked amused briefly but then continued_. __Maybe. But why aren't they here? If you had a child, I wouldn't let anyone hurt it. Not even its mother. __Surely family ties are important in this world._

"I knew he wouldn't leave me." The boy retold his dream, the one of his father walking away from him, to Kouga. "Sometimes in my dreams there's another boy. I can't see his face and I don't know how, but I know him and I love him even more than papa." Ichi-sama said. He groaned, shut his eyes and rubbed his head.

"Are you okay? Are you hurting?" Kouga asked. The boy nodded slowly. "My grandpa used to take salt baths for his rheumatism. Maybe you can take one later."

"Yeah."

Kouga stared at him anxiously. "We'll have fun when you're better. We did the other times." The boy forced a smile. Kouga scooted closer. "Can you tell me about my dad again?"

"I don't remember a lot about him. He's papa's older brother. He wore a patch over his left eye. I never saw him without it. I think he was in an accident, but it happened before I was born. He and grandpa were a lot alike." The boy stopped and giggled.

"What?" Kouga asked grinning.

"Papa had a game called Symphony of the Night—"

"I've played that." Kouga interjected.

"I think grandpa looks a little like Dracula." He laughed.

Kouga lifted the picture and gazed at it. A grin appeared on his face. By the time he looked back at Ichi-sama, they were both laughing.

I didn't get why this should be amusing but their mirth made me feel giddy. I yipped and wagged my tail, jumping on brother and pulling his ear. He grabbed my leg and a play fight ensued.

"He does. The beard and that stern, proud look. His hair's a different color though and he doesn't look as old." They looked at each other again and started to laugh.

Once they'd gotten over being tickled, Kouga rolled on his back and held the picture close to his face. Lobomon and I walked to Ichi-sama, who was quickly drifting off and snuggled under his chin. He raised his hand drowsily and pulled us even closer. I closed my eyes and let go.

"Hi Lowemon!" The boy called cheerfully.

"Ichi-sama." He giggled and covered his face, embarrassed. "Are you doing any better since we last parted?"

"A little. We're staying with my cousin Kouga."

"Good, I'm glad you found a safe place."

"Lowemon do you have any family?" He looked up at me with those big eyes.

"I have a twin brother."

His face brightened. "I've always wanted to have a twin brother."

"Truly?" He nodded.

"What about your mom and dad?" He asked.

"They died not too long ago." I sat on the ground; he sat by my side. I didn't mention that the creature those eyes belonged to killed them.

His breath caught. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. When my kind dies, they come back as babies. It takes some time, but they grow into their old selves again."

"I wished that happened to humans. Were you close to your parents?" I nodded. "What were they like?"

"Mother was pure elegance and civility. She was often horrified by my behavior. Father, he was a crotchety old man," I grinned and couldn't help laughing, "But that's what I liked best about him."

"What does crotchety mean?" He asked.

"That just means he was irritable and bad-tempered."

He smirked. "Like you?"

I cackled. "Yes. I used to tease him and he'd get mad and chase me around." To think about it, maybe that's why I became so fast.

"Did he ever catch you?"

"Oh yes. Several times."

"What happened?" He said.

"Not much. Usually by the time he caught me he was as tickled as I was." I smiled at the memory.

"What about your brother? Is he still alive?"

"Yes. We're very close." I said.

"What's he like?"

"He's my opposite. He's kind and gentle, good-natured."

"You guys sound like my puppies. One's nice and the other, well he's nice too. He just doesn't like to show it." He said. I chuckled.

"Lowemon, why do the eyes bring me here?" He looked nervous. I took a deep breath. Is there any way to answer without scaring the child?

"That creature can sense when someone's hurting. It makes him happy to hurt them more. I'm sorry he's targeted you."

"Why did he bring you?" He asked.

"I strongly dislike humans. He thought he'd have some fun pairing us here."

"But you like me now. Why?"

"Who said I liked you?" I gave him a sideways glance; he was smiling.

"You're a lot nicer. You talk to me now. You wouldn't before. Why don't you like humans?"

I thought about his question. "There was once a little boy who yanked my ear. Ever since…" He laughed.

He grabbed my arm and shook it. "Why really?"

"When a human comes to my world, the Digital World, they end up controlling my kind. It may be outright or in the guise of friendship and teamwork, but the humans have control and my kind follows their lead. I violently hate being controlled. That creature, the eyes, wants to give me to a human child. I was struggling with it till I met you. I'm thinking now it won't be so bad."

"Why does he want to give you to a child?" He looked confused.

"I'm one of the Ten Legendary Warriors—the Warrior of Darkness. He thinks if he can find a suitable child, he can force me to fight for him."

"How can you be a warrior of darkness?" He looked even more baffled.

"I get stronger when I have dark energy to draw from." I looked down to see if he was following. "Do you know what that means?"

He thought. "Is that the bad feelings inside a person?"

"That's exactly what it is. Smart boy." He smiled. "There are two types of darkness," I continued, "Evil darkness; hatred, greed, bitterness, aggression. Any emotion that desires to harm another is evil darkness."

"The other is common darkness. These are emotions that every person feels at some time. Fear, sorrow, despair, suffering are some examples. Any negative emotion falls into those two categories."

He stared at the ground for a while; I started to worry that I'd bored him with my explanation until he looked at me anxiously. "Is anger evil darkness?" My mind flashed back to the furious look and the flare of rage he had when that man hurt him.

"It can be. But it's more of a neutral type. It can be either evil or common. If you're angry at someone who hurt you or a loved one, then it's common. That's a natural reaction. If you let your anger develop so that it drives you to harm another person, then it falls into being evil." I rested my head on my hand, looking at him closer, hoping I'd eased his mind.

"Which is stronger?" He asked.

"Evil is stronger because there's already ill will behind it. But common still gives a substantial boost."

"Does it make you feel bad?"

I smiled at him. "Nope, it's merely a weapon to me, a boost to my own power. It doesn't touch me."

"Where is your world?" He said.

"In relation to yours? I don't know, but it's separate from the human world. An entirely different place."

"Do all the people look like you?" The boy is full of questions...

"My kind are called digimon. You humans look identical compared to us. Some look like specters, machinery, humans, and animals. I myself can turn into a great lion, my brother and I both can turn to wolf-like creatures." The boy was enthralled. "There are even digimon who have no bodies, only heads. If you were to ever see one, you would know them by sight, avoid them. Mischievous little devils."

"Can you change into a lion and wolf now?"

I nodded. "Would you like me to?" I asked.

"Yes please."

I evolved first to Jager-Lowemon.

"A black lion! I've never seen one before." I crawled to his side. He scooted even closer and pushed his face into my mane, laughing as the fur tickled his face. He then picked at the thick grouping of whiskers under each side of my nose and finally exposed a sharp canine that he especially wondered at.

"You said your brother can only turn to a wolf, but you can turn to a lion and a wolf?" He said.

"Well," I laughed, "I should've only turned into a wolfish creature, but I was having a rebellious streak at the time and didn't want to do what the others expected. I'm not sure how it worked. This is what I became." I evolved again to my wolf form, Kaiser-Garurumon, and laid my head in his lap being careful not to lean too heavily on him. He placed a tiny hand on my muzzle and stroked under my ear with the other. "But I could still evolve to this form. It was my birth right after all."

"You're huge. Much bigger than wolves and lions in my world. I'm glad you like me now." He went on to marvel that my head alone almost bigger than him.

"I fought hard against it, but I do like you. You're so sweet-tempered. A very good boy." He frowned and hid his face in my scruff. For a long time he leaned into me and we sat in silence.

"I know it's silly," When he finally spoke he was pressed into my fur so firmly that his voice muffled; it was only for my keen hearing that I heard him at all, "After Toshio hurt me, right after, my puppy said the same thing. But… I don't feel like I am." He remembered that?

"Why boy?"

"There's nothing special about me, well my teachers say I'm really smart, but there're a lot of people who are smart. And I always mess up, especially when I get nervous. One time when Kaa-san's sister was watching me I was trying to help with the dishes and dropped a plate. She got mad and said, 'You're a bad boy. No wonder Kousei left you.'" His voice broke.

"Sounds more like a defect with her than with you. You don't have many good family members do you?" I observed.

"Grandma and Kouga love me. But Kaa-san and her sister don't like me at all."

"Does your aunt still watch you?"

He let go of my neck and leaned against my head. "No, thank goodness."

"Sometimes people like to be mean. I like to be mean. Usually it doesn't have anything to do with the target. Sometimes it's just to relieve frustration."

"I wish they'd find another way or another target." He muttered. "You like to be mean?" He asked. I nodded. "What do you do?"

"One thing I especially like is," I laughed, "I have a black cloak I sport occasionally. My place in the Digital World is dark all the time. It's actually called the Dark Continent."

"I like to pull the hood over my head and make my eyes glow red. The darkness magnifies the effect. It's not really scary, but it's fun to see other's reactions. And sometimes, when I'm feeling especially naughty, I use my manipulation on them."

He looked at me oddly. "You can make your eyes glow? Can I see?"

I changed back to Lowemon. "If this dream place is associated within the Digital World, I should be able to bring my cloak here." I concentrated and heard a gasp when it materialized at my feet.

I smirked at him as I pulled my cloak over my shoulders, not bothering to put my arms through the sleeves, and fastened it. I covered my head and performed my trick.

His eyes widened and a tremor racked his body. A grin followed. "That's creepy." He pushed the hood off, looking relieved my eyes weren't glowing anymore. "What's your manipulation? Does that mean you can make people do things?"

"I'm impressed Ichi-sama. You are very smart. That's exactly it."

He thought briefly. "Like make people dance real silly?"

"I have done that." I said. He laughed.

"How do you do it?"

"It has to do with mine and my target's darkness. It's complicated." I digivolved back to my wolf form and nosed at his hand. He rubbed my muzzle and stared at me for several seconds.

"Lowemon. What my aunt said, it makes me think it was my fault papa's gone. I always felt it was even before she said that. It has to be true."

"I'm sure it's not."

"But what if it is?" He countered.

"It doesn't matter to a father... A good one will do anything for his child. My own died protecting me... Just know that your father loved you. Whether you're innocent or at fault, he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. You don't honor his memory that way."

"You're right." He said, patting my head in an attempt to comfort me.

I felt the familiar pull out of our dream world.

"Bye little one. Maybe next time if your head's feeling better I'll give you a ride on my back. Would you like that?"

"I would love that!" He squeaked and cuddled my snout. I stiffened.

"I don't know about all this affection nonsense." I said curtly.

He laughed and embraced me tighter. "Bye Lowemon."

I opened an eye and peeked up to find Kouga hovering over us.

"Wake up Ichi." He shook the boy gently.

"Okay." Ichi-sama muttered. He buried his face in brother's fur and pulled us closer, but otherwise made no attempt to stir further.

_Good morning._ Lobomon said, stretching his legs as far as they'd go before drawing them back under his belly.

_Sleep well?_ I asked.

_I did. Did you see—_ He stopped to laugh. _Did you see Ichi-sama in your dream?_

_Yep._ Brother smiled at me. _What? You find my name for him amusing?_

_I don't. It's just how quickly you turned around. We've known him only a short time and you're already so attached._ He said.

"Come on Ichi. Got to get up. I made you and the puppies some eggs. I don't want them to get cold."

The boy grumbled something unintelligible; I assumed it was a thank you. He forced himself up and nibbled on the food. Kouga set our own plate beside Ichi-sama's leg, sat beside us and we ate together.

I was surprised to hear my name come up in the boys' conversation. The older boy listened intently when Ichi-sama relayed parts of our previous two dream visits and his fear that I was being mistreated by 'the eyes' when we weren't together. Kouga tried to assure him I was probably just fine and commented how glad he was that I was being nice to his cousin now.

Brother, whose back faced the children, grinned at me. _Does it bother you?__ Being spoken about like this._ He asked.

_Not at all. He's not said anything too important. And Kouga, for his cousin's sake, I doubt would tell anyone else._

_Wasn't there a party of humans who destroyed the digimon who strayed into this world? Yes I remember Lord Cherubimon mentioning them. _Brother said.

_I doubt either of these children is affiliated with that group. They were a large family weren't they? These two are alone._

_That's true._

Once the boy was done he crawled off the bed and fumbled through his bag, pulling out some clothing. He tugged his shirt over his head.

"Ichi…" Kouga said. He stepped closer to Ichi-sama and examined the black finger marks lining the boy's shoulders. He then noticed the larger patch covering the younger boy's side. "And all these others too. You can't go back."

The boy nodded and continued to dress himself. "Especially now." He stopped to glance at us. "I won't let them be hurt."

Kouga smiled. "You guys can stay here forever." Ichi-sama frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He looked at his cousin and hesitantly continued. "I have a hard time sleeping most nights, and I usually have the TV on. I don't want to keep you up."

"I already know that. Every time this happens we have this same conversation. I don't mind you sleeping with the TV on. I can sleep through anything."

Ichi-sama laughed. "Sorry. Thanks Kouga."

Kouga left shortly after with a promise from Ichi-sama that he'd stay in bed and rest. I settled at the foot of the bed and entertained brother by telling more of mine and the boy's visits.

_The boy… He told me he remembered you __speaking__ to him __that night__._

_He remembers? I thought the trauma would have __prevented it. __Does he know that you're really his puppy?_

_No. _

_What did you talk about? _Brother asked.

_Family mostly. He also asked about the eyes—Lord Cherubimon. _

_What did you tell him?_

_I kept it simple. I didn't want to frighten him.__ He doesn't know anything Master has planned for him. _I added.

_I bet he enjoyed when you showed him your evolved forms__. _Lobomon said.

_Oh yes. Also, h__e told me his favorite puppy is Fen. Grimm comes in at a very distant second._

_Sure… _

We spent the rest of the day engrossed in watching TV. I'm not sure I'd moved once the whole day and was surprised when Kouga slunk into the room. Brother and I hopped up and greeted him with waving tails.

He smiled warmly. "Shh. Don't wake up Ichi." He whispered.

"I'm awake." He mumbled. He sat up, but seemed to be pouting.

"What's wrong?" The other boy dropped his bag on the floor.

"Can we do something? Like get out of the house for a bit." Kouga looked unsure.

"You really should stay in bed. But maybe some sunshine would be good for you." Ichi-sama perked up. "I did my homework at school, and it's actually warm today, you want to go to Yoyogi park?"

"Yeah, and they can come too." The boy looked at us. He slid off the bed and dressed quickly.

Kouga handed Ichi-sama my collar; he attached Grimm's. "I love the look on Fen's face when you put his collar on." Kouga said.

Ichi-sama laughed. "I know. He hates it."

_Then why am I forced to wear it?_ I fussed.

_The red is striking against your fur Fen__._ Lobomon offered.

_The black complements you as well__ b__rother._I returned his compliment. Not that I was any keener on wearing the dreadful thing.

"I'm ready." Ichi-sama said; we descended the stairs.

"I should tell my grandparents first." Ichi-sama cringed and Kouga laughed at him. "You can wait out here Ichi."

"No. I should thank them for letting us stay." We followed Kouga through a hall into a medium size room. It was humble, but still nicely decorated. A couch was situated in the middle of the room, its back to us, and on it sat two people. All I could see of them were two tufts of flashy white hair.

Ichi-sama followed his friend around the couch but abruptly stopped. His darkness flared, fearfully. He squeezed us tight.

"Hi grandma. Hi grandpa." Kouga said. "Kouichi's going to stay here with me." They both turned their heads slowly toward us and smiled.

I was shocked. _This is what happens to humans when they age? _ The couple's skin was almost as pale as mine and Lobomon's fur and appeared to be melting off. The woman's eyes had almost vanished and were replaced by dark shadows. The man had a covering that rested atop his nose that magnified his eyes five times what they should be.

The boy cringed. I felt _he_ wanted to bolt this time, but he bowed instead. "It's nice to see you again." Liar. They said nothing only smiled wider and reached for Lobomon and myself.

_NO!_ I screeched. I squirmed and fought so that the boy dropped me. Kouga caught me before I hit the ground and held me close.

"I'm sorry, he doesn't like to be held." Ichi-sama, ever polite, timidly sat in between them on the couch. Poor Lobomon…

The old folks stroked brother. He crouched into the boy's lap the best he could, his eyes wide and fur popping out. He peeked back and his body relaxed. His tail even quivered a bit.

_Don't encourage them!_ I said in disbelief.

_They seem kindly enough. I don't want to hurt their feelings._ Ichi-sama appeared just as spooked as brother had been. He looked at Kouga for help.

"Were going to the park if that's okay." Silence. "Were going to take the puppies to play." Kouga motioned for Ichi-sama to get up.

"Yeah." The boy jumped up and started around the couch. He could move pretty quickly when he wanted to. He stopped and bowed again. "Thank you for letting us stay." Silence. They only stared, smiling.

Ichi-sama's pace quickened and soon we'd stepped off the porch. "Creepy wasn't it." Kouga said.

"I feel bad being scared. When I first met them they weren't like that. Your grandma especially was so nice to me. She didn't mind when I came over. And they would take us to the park or to the library or to rent a movie."

"Yeah," Kouga stared at the pavement solemnly, "They'd let us get a movie each and pick out a treat to eat while we watched them. I miss that."

"Me too. What's wrong with them? My grandma still talks when I visit her at the nursing home." Ichi-sama said.

"I don't know. I feel like it's my fault. They're really old and there's no one else to take care of me. They can't die in peace."

"I'm sorry." The boy said. Kouga shrugged.

We set off, weaving through alleys and across streets and eventually got into a busier part of the city where the boy had to carry us.

"Oh. I forgot my backpack." The boy looked at Kouga.

"Why do you need..." His eyes focused on us. "Oh they won't let animals on the train."

"I'm sorry." The boy hung his head.

"It's okay. We'll try to sneak them on. If we get caught maybe they'll make an exception since they're so small. Let's go anyway. We're already so close." We approached something that was very similar to a Trailmon terminal. It was teeming with people; ample cover to slip two tiny puppies aboard.

_This is exciting._ I said.

_Yes. If they fail are you going to use your manipulation? I've been wondering if that works here._

_I'll attempt it if the need arises._

The boys got in line. "Turn away from the guy while I pay." Ichi-sama nodded and turned away when Kouga stepped closer. We waited for several moments.

"Let's go Ichi." Kouga shielded us with his body and both boys scurried through the turnstile.

"Almost there." Ichi-sama chanted. We came closer and closer to the train's door.

"No one in sight…" Kouga whispered. Just as they were about to step in, an official looking man strutted down the aisle. He froze when he eyed us and gave the boys a condemning look.

_My turn._ I said to brother. _I hope it works in this world... I've never __tried it without speaking aloud__. _I waited for the man to look at me again.

"No dogs allo—" He stopped when he caught me eyes.

_It's okay __for__ us__ to__ ride. _I said to him.A faraway look settled on his face.

"It's okay for them to ride." He said mechanically. Both boys jerked.

_S__tep aside so they can board. _I added. He stepped aside and we entered and found a seat. After a few moments the man shook his head and continued on.

"What was _that_?" Kouga said.

"I don't know." Ichi-sama muttered but then gave me a peculiar look.

_That couldn't have been more perfect brother._ Lobomon complimented.

_I was worried it wouldn't work. If I'd kno__wn, I would have used it __that night. I was so afraid it__ didn't enter my mind__._

_Neither of us had a chance to think until afterward._

The ride itself wasn't long, but what made it seem longer was the admiration the other passengers showed us puppies. Ichi-sama was deluged with questions and hands inched forward to touch us. I wanted to struggle away or snap at them, but I didn't want brother to bear it alone as I caused him to with Kouga's grandparents.

Ichi-sama and Kouga jumped up finally and waded their way off the train. After exiting the terminal, we walked down several more streets before my eyes caught an expanse of verdant greenery.

_Grass! Trees!_ I said. I thought this world had only a few trees and lonely strips of grass scattered about. I wiggled and the boy put me on the ground.

Once the boys had settled under a tree and unhitched us, I fell onto the grass and rolled. Brother joined me. The boys giggled.

"It does feel really good out here." Ichi-sama said. He closed his eyes as a breeze ruffled his already disheveled hair.

Lobomon and I chased each other while Ichi-sama and Kouga sat cross-legged in the grass conversing. After awhile, a horrible squally laugh sounded a ways from us. A lady with smoldering red hair, loaded down with a bag and a basket appeared. She chased after a child much younger than Ichi-sama.

I sunk in the grass, but the child spotted me. He came at once to me. I eyed him cautiously.

He looked at the woman. "A toy!" He said shrilly. He grabbed my scruff and hiked my in the air waving me around. On my way up, I caught Ichi-sama's horrified and Kouga's amused faces.

"Fen!" The boy rushed to us and grabbed me. He massaged my neck and shoulders.

The woman caught up us. "That's not a toy. It's a puppy. You have to be gentle with puppies." She explained.

"Puppy." The toddler repeated.

The woman regarded Ichi-sama. "I'm sorry sweetie." She didn't look sorry. That curl to her lips…

The boy sat down; I stayed firmly in his lap. "It's okay." He said.

_Are you alright?_ Brother asked with his head cocked.

_Don't let that nasty little monster near you Lobomon._

_I don't think it was purposeful._ Brother said.

I glared at the child who was oblivious, the woman noticed and snickered. I scowled at her, not caring in the least if I let it slip I wasn't an ordinary animal. She laughed louder.

"There you are Meiko-san."Another woman approached her.

"Kaa-san!" The evil creature ran to her and the woman scooped him up. "Puppy." He pointed to me. I growled.

"I see it." She said to him. "Thanks for bringing him here."

"Of course. I thought while we were in the park we could have a picnic together."

"I'm sorry. I just can't. Maybe next time?"

"Sure." She handed the bag to the other woman. "Have fun," She said to the boy. He waved as they left.

The woman sighed and looked at her basket. "I'm always up for a picnic." Kouga said.

The woman looked at him amused. "I'm always up for a picnic with two handsome gentlemen." Kouga smirked. Ichi-sama, bless his heart, had to cover his face. "Have you eaten?" She asked them.

"No ma'am." Ichi-sama said. Kouga helped the woman stretch a blanket over the ground and we all sat on it.

"You have some cute puppies." She said to Ichi-sama.

"Thanks." He said shyly.

She began plating the food. Lobomon waddled to her side. "Wow, fried chicken and all the fixings. I thought all you had in there were sandwiches. You went all out." She laughed and handed a plate to Ichi-sama.

"I love to cook." She said.

"Me too." Kouga said."We used to cook with my grandma all the time. And I love to eat."

"Used to?" She handed Kouga his plate.

"She doesn't cook much anymore. She's really old."

"That's too bad. I bet you two really enjoyed that." The boys nodded. "What are your names?"

"I'm Kouga and that's Ichi—uh Kouichi."

"And," Ichi-sama started slowly, "This is Fen and Grimm's beside you."

"I love those names." She said. He smiled. "My name's Meiko."

I was trying to sit still. Really I was, but his plate rested in the boy's lap only inches from me and I couldn't help moving toward it. He noticed, pulled off some meat and offered it to me before flinching. I looked up to see him staring apologetically at the woman.

"It's okay sweetie. He can have some." She said.

"Thank you Meiko-san." Even when he broke eye contact she stared at him worriedly.

He held it closer to me and I snatched it. Brother looked at me crossly. _I want some too. _He stamped his paw and howled. The humans laughed. "I love it when he does that. Come on Grimm. You can eat off my plate." Kouga said. Brother rushed to him.

Ichi-sama pulled off some more meat and nibbled on it. _Hey…_ I whined and pawed at his arm.

"I want some too Fen." He smiled down at me.

"Here let me take him so you can eat." She plucked me out of his lap and sat me in hers. "You're so skinny baby. Eat a lot okay." He nodded. She pulled a strip of meat for me. I clamped down on it.

"Thanks. It's delicious Meiko-san." Ichi-sama said. He scooped something fluffy and white in his mouth.

"It's all wonderful." Kouga added. He was making a game of throwing chunks of meat in the air for brother to catch.

_Look at us. Me being hand fed by a lovely lady and you performing tricks for food like a common cur. Father would be disappointed._ I cackled.

He laughed._ At least I wasn't flown around like a kite earlier._ _Father would__ be__ amused._ I pouted; I'd almost forgotten… _Besides, _He continued, _I find this fun._

"Meiko-san, your hair is so pretty." Ichi-sama said bashfully after a while.

She smiled impishly. "Are you trying to sweet-talk me? Well, if I wasn't already married I might just consider—" Ichi-sama's face blushed to the deepest shade of red and she and Kouga laughed. Grimm and I could only wag our tails. It took several minutes before it took on his normal pale hue.

"It's okay Ichi. I think her hair is pretty too." Kouga said.

"It's my mother coming out in me. She's Russian and my father is Japanese."

"Have you ever been to Russia?" Ichi-sama asked.

"Oh yes. I've traveled to many countries." The boys were in awe and had her give account to all the places she'd visited.

Their next topic was the boys' school and interests. Both boys were impressed that the woman was an admirer of video games and manga as much as themselves. Each shared their favorites.

"You're like the coolest woman ever!" Kouga said before stuffing more food in his mouth.

She smiled. A touch sadly I noticed. "Now you shouldn't say that about anyone but your mother."

"We don't have mothers. My mom died having me. Well Ichi has one but she isn't good."

"I thought you were brothers. You look so much alike." She said.

"We're cousins." Kouga said. "But we might as well be brothers." Ichi-sama smiled.

"Why isn't your mother good?" She asked the boy. He slumped like he wanted to vanish.

"She doesn't like me." I could tell from his face that he'd meant for those words to come out casually but his voice betrayed him.

"I'm sure that's not true darling. Sometimes moms can get stressed and..." She stopped when he shook his head. It was obvious from his appearance and demeanor that he wasn't a beloved or cherished child.

"She doesn't like me at all. I remind her of papa and she didn't like him either."

"Where's your papa now?" She asked.

"He died." He fixed his eyes on his shoes and fiddled with the laces.

"I'm sorry." She moved over and sat beside him. "You loved him a lot didn't you?" He nodded. She pulled him into a hug. From my place in her lap, his head hung over me. He was looking at me, frowning severely. I thought it was directed at me but then realized he was struggling to hold his tears back.

One did fall and splashed my muzzle. He wiped his eyes quickly and looked at the woman with a forced smile. "Yeah. I miss him a lot."

"Honey…" She rubbed his back.

"I'm okay, really." He said earnestly as if he could get her to believe this, it would make it true.

"Okay." She kissed his forehead. Kouga crawled closer, a silly grin on his face, and rested his head on Ichi-sama's shoulder.

The woman laughed. "You are a mess." Still she cupped his face and pecked his forehead.

He howled, wiping dramatically at the afflicted spot. "Germs!" He shot her a wicked smile, one that reminded me of my own.

The woman looked away sadly. "You don't like my kisses?" She asked. Kouga cringed.

_Don't go near her boy, it's a trap!_ I warned.

He scooted to her side. "I was just joking Meiko-san. I'm sorr—" She mirrored his smile from before and grabbed him, planting a wet one on his cheek. He shrieked. They both laughed, Ichi-sama joined them. "You got me." Kouga said.

Brother and I yipped in amusement.

Eventually things quieted. The boy settled back in his spot and started sincerely eating the food on his plate. He didn't notice the woman watching him, or maybe it was because she watched, he kept his eyes downcast.

"Sweetie." His eyes stayed fixed on the plate. "Is that why you're so thin? Your mother doesn't care for you, so she doesn't give you enough to eat?" He was silent for a few seconds; I saw him mentally working through her questions. When he finally looked up and saw us all staring at him, he colored and looked down again.

"Not exactly. She doesn't like me, but she doesn't go out of her way to hurt me either. She's never hit me or anything. There's just... not enough money. She works two full-time jobs, and I want her to be able to eat, so I try not to eat too much. But she's getting sick anyway."

"You never told me that." Kouga said.

"I didn't want you to worry."

"Well there's always food in my house." Kouga said. Ichi-sama nodded, smiling.

"You're a good son. She should feel honored to have such a good boy." The woman said.

The boy looked at her shocked, opened his mouth to say something, but instead closed it and looked down. "She doesn't like me, but I'm still going to be good so papa will be proud."

"You need money. Do you think your mother would let me help her?" Ichi-sama looked confused. "I know what it feels like... Not having enough. I have plenty now. Would she let me help?"

He shook his head. "She wouldn't. She'd get mad. She doesn't like to accept help. My landlord brought over a bag of food once, he said it was things he had tried and didn't like, but Kaa-san gave it back and sent him away."

"Were you hungry then?" Kouga asked.

The boy nodded. "There wasn't anything to eat. We were both hungry. Now Kazuo-san just sneaks things to me when mom's at work."

_Proud and stubborn._ Brother said.

_More like idiotic..._ I commented. _She has more than herself to think of._

"How about if you do some chores for me on Sundays. I could pay you. Surely she won't get upset if you earn the money. Kouga-kun, I would love for you to come too if your dad doesn't mind. And of course Grimm and Fen."

Kouga face twisted a bit. "I don't have a dad. I live with my grandparents. They won't mind."

The boy thought about it. "That sounds good. You're so nice Meiko-san." He smiled.

_Yes she's being too nice..._ I said looking at her. She caught my gaze and stroked my forehead with a finger.

_Not everyone has an agenda brother. __I sense much goodness in her._

_I think there's something behind it. __I sense much darkness as well__._ I said.

_What kind is it?_

_Common__.__ Sadness._

"Since you two don't have mothers, I could be your mother. I would love to have children." Both boys looked confused. "He's not mine. He's my stepson." She looked down at me and fiddled with my ear. Her darkness flared from angst to anger.

"That would be great. I think we all make a perfect match." Kouga said excitedly. Ichi-sama nodded, but appeared too shocked to speak.

"I live between Meguro and Shibuya. Is that too far from you boys?"

"We live in Tomigaya."

"That's not too bad. I'll come pick you up. It's no trouble for me."

"You have a car?" Kouga asked. "I've never ridden in one before. We always used the trains or just walked."

"I have." Ichi-sama said. "My papa had a car."

She took a piece of paper out of her handbag and tore it in two. She placed the paper on her lap and scribbled on them; I peeked over her hands to see two sets of the same numbers. "This is my cell number." She gave a piece to each boy. "Call if you can help me this Sunday.

"We will." Kouga said. "What's for dessert?" The lady chuckled, took a container out of the basket and tugged off the lid. "Cookies!" She offered some to Kouga, who took several. "Mmm. They're still warm." He said. She handed a few to Ichi-sama. His eyes closed when he took his first bite.

Brother whined. I copied. "Sorry babies. Dogs can't have chocolate." She said. We cocked our heads at her. Brother came to her side and pawed at her knee, his tail wagging rapidly. "Oh but they're too cute. A little crust won't hurt you." She tore some off her 'cookie' and threw a piece to brother, who caught it before it hit ground. The humans clapped for him. She handed me another piece. I grabbed it, growling, and gulped the sweet treat down.

"Fen!" I looked at Ichi-sama who stared ruefully at the woman.

_What did I do?_ I looked at brother.

"I'm sorry Meiko-san. He just does that when he eats. He won't hurt you." Oh the growling.

"It's alright. I'd growl too if I thought someone was trying to steal my food." She said with a smile. The boys laughed.

They spoke further till it was noticeably getting dark and the conversation turned to their leaving.

"We can take the train." Ichi-sama said quickly.

"Absolutely not. I'll drive you home." She said. The humans packed the blanket and remaining food and packed them in the basket. The children, especially, hurried. Both were grinning and excited.

We set off and followed her for several minutes until we approached a street. The boys gasped at the sleek, ruby tinted car parked at the curb. "Is that yours?" Kouga gasped.

"Yep." She pointed to the car with a set of keys. The car clicked twice and the back end of the car, the trunk, I'd heard this word used on TV, rose. Kouga put the basket in and slammed it down.

"Can it go fast?" Ichi-sama asked after picking us up.

"She's very fast."

"She?" Ichi-sama laughed.

"Can I drive?" Kouga asked.

"Sure baby," She chuckled, "In a few years." She opened the back door and the boys piled in. "If there's something in your way just throw it in the car seat."

_I want to sit in the front._ I stepped off Ichi-sama's lap and was about to attempt a leap between the two front seats, but Kouga lifted and placed me there. I looked back and wagged at him. _Thank you much Kouga._

The lady opened the right front door, settled behind the wheel and cranked the car. She patted my back when she noticed me at her side. "Put your seatbelts on my darlings."

There was a clicking behind me. "They're on." Ichi-sama said.

I hopped into the seat beside hers. "Are you going to be my navigator?" She scratched my chest.

I yipped. _I'm excited Lobomon! But I can't see anything._

_Neither can I and I'm still on Ichi-sama's lap._He answered.

She pulled into traffic; I could hear what I guessed were other cars swooshing past us. I crawled onto her lap. Her door's handle jutted out enough I could balance on it with my hind legs and rise up to look out the window.

I watched as other vehicles and humans passed. A territorial urge rose in me to protect _my_ car. Soon enough was snapping at anything too close. My companions laughed at me. In my mind I knew the pitiful, nasally sound I emitted was hardly scary, but I felt like big stuff so I continued.

"What's he doing?" Kouga asked. I saw him, Ichi-sama and brother leaning behind the woman's seat to peek at me.

"He's feeling full of himself and is fussing at anyone in sight." She answered. Very true.

I did this until the woman got tired of my actions and I was handed back to Ichi-sama. I scrambled up on the car seat and started again. A few snickers escaped from both children. The boy grabbed me and held me securely in his lap. Brother jumped onto my previous perch and watched out the window.

_Silly brother. __You made it seem like Lucemon himself was out there__._ He was amused.

"See that's how _you_ should act Fen." Ichi-sama scolded. Brother looked at me; I could see the smirk trying to pull at his lips.

Lobomon had to cling tight to his position. The woman drove fast and took the corners even more so. The boys enjoyed this. They squealed at each turn even when they bumped into each other. Finally we stopped in front of Kouga's house. Ichi-sama grabbed us and we excited the car.

_That was great._ I said, my tail wiggling. Brother answered with a wag of his own.

The woman stepped out as well and gave them both a squeeze. "Bye. Sleep good tonight and have a great day at school tomorrow."

"We will." They chorused. She sat back in the car. "Call me about Sunday."

"Okay. Thanks for the dinner mama." Kouga said.

The woman was shocked then looked at him tenderly. "You're welcome. Bye babies. Bye Fen. Bye Grimm." She waved at us. We yipped a farewell.

_Thank you for the most __scrumptious__ food I've ever eaten._ I said.

_We'll make sure the boys go Sunday so we can eat more of your good cooking. _Brother added. We watched her drive away.

"I'm really glad we went now." Kouga said.

"Are we going Sunday?" Ichi-sama asked. "I really want to."

"Of course." The boys lingered for a while before beaming at each other, going in and settling for the night.

Nothing of note took place over the next few days other than Kouga's call to the woman securing their visit. What made things worse was the chill had returned to the air so we were shut in the room. The boy slept during the day, while I was awake, and I slept at night when he was restless and fidgeting so we had no dream visits.

Usually while Kouga was at school, I'd watch TV with brother, but for this day I'd prepared myself. Last night I'd made sure to stay awake with the boy so I could sleep when he did. After we ate, and his cousin left, I cuddled to Ichi-sama's chest and we both dozed off.

I cringed when something embraced me. "Lowemon! I feel better." He gazed up at me expectantly.

"Are you sure?" He nodded. "I suppose we can go slow. Which one?"

"The wolf please." I digivolved and crouched; he scrambled up my back.

"How are you really feeling Ichi-sama?" I ambled around. He didn't say anything. "I won't make you get down."

"I'm fine." He gripped the fur on my shoulders. "Run Lowemon!"

I laughed. "When you've fully recovered, I promise we'll run. You're in no shape for it now."

"That'll take too long." He whined. "And what if I can't sleep?"

"I'll meet you here when you do."

He laid on his stomach atop my back, lacing his feet over me, and fingered a trail in my cream and periwinkle fur. "Do you wait for me here when I can't sleep?" He asked.

"When I come you're already here." I said, wandering aimlessly.

"Good. Am I heavy?" He asked. I snorted a laugh which made him bob up and down. He giggled.

"You heavy? You're like a gnat. I can barely feel you up there." I looked back and locked eyes with him. "You were concerned for me?" I asked.

He nodded, not bothering to lift his head. He closed his eyes and smiled. "Your fur is so soft. Like my puppies." He stroked my side. "Are you with the eyes when you're not with me?"

"No, I'm with my brother." I felt him lift slightly; I looked back again. He rested on his elbows, looking serious.

"I'm relieved. I thought the eyes might be hurting you," He smirked, "Because you're so crotchety." I grinned.

"Don't worry about me. Concentrate on getting better."

He laid back down. "I'm teasing. I like the way you are." He muttered.

"I like you too. You're a tough little nut." I said.

"Lowemon. You said the eyes are going to give you to a child."

"Yes."

"I'm the child?" I had to focus not to give a visual cue of my surprise.

"Why do you say that?" I tried to sound casual.

"Why else bring me here? If there was another child, it would make more sense to bring him. You said you're the Warrior of Darkness and the eyes had sensed my pain. And pain is darkness. I think I have a lot of darkness you could use..."

"You're far too clever for being so young." I paused and looked back at him.

"Is that yes?" He asked. I nodded.

I cocked my head at him. "Does it scare you?"

"No. Not right now anyway. Actually I'm glad. I wanted to help you, not some other kid." I felt my fondness for the boy increase.

"It won't be for a few more years." I began walking again.

"I'm worried I won't be a good partner."

"You will." I said with all confidence.

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."

"Neither do I. We'll figure it out."

He sighed and pressed his face into the fluff between my shoulder blades. "It's different than adventures in video games and books…"

"I have no doubts you will make the finest of partners. And there will be fun times too. I'll show you all my favorite haunts and teach you the secrets of the Digital World."

"That sounds neat. We'll be okay together. Can I meet your brother?"

"Of course." I was tempted to say he had already.

"Kouga and I met this nice woman at the park. She's really pretty, but she looked a little sad too. She said she'd be our mother because Kouga doesn't have one and mine doesn't like me." He rambled.

"What do you think about that?" I asked.

"I'm excited. I want a mom. She was really nice. I almost asked if we could go home with her." He laughed at the last part. "But why would she say that? She doesn't even know us."

I had sensed very little evil darkness from that woman; she seemed sincere, so I saw no reason to discourage the relationship. "She saw two boys who need a mother. Some women have strong mothering instincts."

"It would be nice." He said.

In this instance he sensed it was time for us to part and sat up. "I don't want to go. I'll miss you." I looked back at him. He bit his lip. "Lowemon," He smirked, "I love you." I pretended to retch dramatically. He laughed.

"Bye Ichi-sama."

"Bye Lowemon. I hope we see each other soon."

The boy stirred, waking me up as well. For several minutes he laid still, staring unfocused toward the TV. After awhile he pushed himself off the bed and flitted about the room restlessly. He squatted beside a pile of toys and when they didn't interest him, he moved to a book lying on the desk. He studied it's outside but didn't bother to open it. He stood still before glancing at us. A half-smile stretched over his lips.

"I know." He said. He went to his bag and dug around, pulling out a brush. He picked us both up and sat in front of the TV. "I haven't done this enough." Brother sat still while the boy brushed him.

_Does it hurt?_ I asked

_Not at all. Feels good_. He brushed him for a long time, doing a thorough job. He pulled me over next and began work on me. Soon after, Kouga came in.

"Hey Kouga." The boy said distractedly.

_What's wrong with him, Lowemon? Did your dream visit not go well? _

_I thought it did..__.__ He seemed in good spirits when we parted._

"Ichi?" Kouga said after he'd noticed Ichi-sama's brooding.

"I need to go back to my apartment to get some clothes. The ones I brought are dirty."

"I can wash them for you. And you can borrow mine if you need to. I know they're too big, but you can wear them around the house." Kouga said. The boy didn't reply. Kouga shook his shoulder. "Ichi?"

"I'm worried about papa's stuff. I'm afraid Toshio will do something to them to get back at me."

Kouga frowned. "That would bother me too. Let's walk over and if you don't see his car in the lot, we'll go check on them." Kouga said.

"Okay. Let's go now." He looked at us. "But you guys need to stay here."

_That's no good._ I said. I'd learned from the train incident I could use my manipulation here; I could protect them if needed.

_They can't go alone. _Brother agreed.

I howled. Brother yodeled.

"Pups hush." The boy fussed. We continued louder. "Stop," He hissed, "You can't be loud. The neighbors will complain." We persisted. The boy looked at Kouga who shrugged.

"Alright. You want to come?" We stopped immediately and wagged our tails. He scowled at us.

"They're too smart." Kouga said, glancing away to hide his grin.

Ichi-sama fastened our collars, carried us outside and plopped us on the walk. "You shouldn't come. You'd be safer here." The boy grumbled. But still we started walking. The boys directed us down a few streets and I started to recognize place marks as being near the apartment.

My fur puffed which brother noticed. _Lowemon... He's here?_

_Yes. His darkness is very close. _I glanced about._ Let him come. I'll end this._

We hung back as Ichi-sama examined the complex. "I don't see his car." We started forward on the sidewalk. As we turned to cut through the parking lot a voice called out.

"There you are. I was wondering where my best buddy went." That man... He spoke sharply but kept his face pleasant. Neither boy said a word. "You didn't miss me?" He stepped closer.

I glared at him. "So these are the pups." Ichi-sama yanked us back. The man laughed.

"Don't worry Ichi. He won't do anything out where he can be seen. Like a coward." Kouga spat the last part.

The man was unaffected. "You have to come home sometime. I'll be waiting." He pointed to his cheek. "You hit me. Don't think it'll go unpunished."

I growled, furious. So angry my whole body shook. The man laughed. "Looks like your puppy dog is scared." To my left, I noticed a bus approaching.

Perfect.

I closed my eyes, concentrating. I gathered my own darkness and mingled and merged it with his. I opened my eyes and yipped, causing him to glance at me.

I forced his mind to see me differently. Larger, much larger. Threatening and hostile. His face lost its false affability and was replaced by horror. He stepped back.

"Its eyes are glowing..." The man said. I was only vaguely aware that Ichi-sama had dropped my leash. I charged at the man, snarling. He wailed something about a demon and stumbled backward into the street. The bus' horn blared but it was too late.

It slammed into the man and his body lunged forward, rolling on the pavement several times before resting on his stomach unnaturally.

The next moment, Lobomon and I were in Ichi-sama's arms and both boys sprinted away from the collision. Along the way, I caught sight of the landlord's stunned face. He stood off a distance, frozen, and watched us till we escaped into the apartment. Kouga shut and locked the door behind us.

"Oh no. No, no, no." Ichi-sama whined.

"It's okay." Kouga tried to say but it came out in a stammer. It took at least half an hour for him to calm Ichi-sama enough to speak.

"I don't want them to be taken away." The boy sobbed.

"Don't worry. Even if someone saw, the police would never believe a tiny puppy could get so big, bigger than any dog I've seen, and shrink back down like that." Kouga said.

I tensed. Brother looked at me. _He saw? _I asked.

"You think so?"Ichi-sama's voice quivered.

_Ichi-sama must have seen too._ _He didn't seem confused about Kouga's words._ Brother observed.

"I'm sure no one saw. I don't remember anyone else on the street." Kouga said. A knock sounded on the door. We all jumped and scooted away from it. Another knock. Kouga hesitantly opened the door a sliver.

"Hey, can I speak to Kouichi?" I recognized the voice as the landlord's. Kouga opened the door wider. Ichi-sama crept forward to his cousin's side.

"Hey Kouichi. Did you hear what happened to Toshio?" The boy stared at him uneasily. "The police say he was drunk and stumbled into the street. A bus... Well, he's dead."

_That is true. He did stumble..._ I said to brother.

"He stumbled? In front of a bus?" Ichi-sama asked. The man nodded.

"I thought I'd let you know. The police have already left. They said it was clear what happened. Case closed." Both boys let out shaky breaths. The boy teared up. The man noticed this and patted his head. "Everything's okay." He nodded to emphasize his words.

"Thanks for letting me know." The boy said. The man smiled and left.

"Nobody saw." Kouga said once the door was closed.

_But that man did see._ I told brother. _When the boys were running here, I saw him watching us._

_Then he didn't tell the police._ Brother said. I had a new respect for the landlord.

Ichi-sama took in a ragged breath. Kouga wrapped him in a hug. "You're okay."

"I'm just relieved." Ichi-sama said, shaking so that he wobbled on his feet. Kouga led him toward the living room leaving us behind. A few minutes later the older boy walked past us to the kitchen.

Neither of them should've seen. Only the target can see my manipulations. I sat with my head hung, completely confused. While I contemplated this, I saw the boy approach unsurely. He peeked at Kouga who was piddling in the kitchen and dropped to his knees in front of me. He was about to say something but shut his mouth quickly.

I stared up at my boy. _What is it __Ichi-sama__? You've nothing to fear from me. _

He leaned closer. "Lowemon?" I tensed. He took notice of it and his bottom lip quivered. "It really is you. And on the train too… You came to be with me."

"Ichi-sama…" The words escaped before I could stop them.

He smiled. "You saved me Lowemon." I looked away. If I hadn't been so sacred out of my mind I could have saved him that night.

"What's wrong Lowemon?"

I smiled at him. "Nothing boy. All's well."

"Yep, everything's okay now. We don't have to worry about him again." Kouga said, handing Ichi-sama a glass of water. He squatted by his cousin and stared down at me, a wide grin settled on his face.

That boy… Carefree all the way. "You're not surprised?" I asked.

"Of course." He shrugged. "But Ichi told me about you."

"I only told Kouga. And he won't tell anyone." Ichi-sama's word's rushed out.

"I won't. Even upon the threat of death." Kouga looked so silly saying this I had to laugh.

"That's fine. Also, Ichi-sama, call us Fen and Grimm in this world." I said.

"Yes," Brother started, "You mustn't tell anyone about us or the Digital World. It's just between us four." They both agreed.

"How did you do that?" Kouga asked.

"I can manipulate a person's mind to have them see or do what I want. I made his mind see me as scary. I didn't actually grow. Anyone else around would see, or should have still seen me the way I look now. It actually would be funny, him afraid of a baby puppy."

"We shouldn't have seen but we did. Why?" Ichi-sama asked.

"I don't know. My manipulation only works on those I target and very few of my fellow digimon have seen past them."

"Maybe being here has affected more than just your appearance." Brother said.

"We should test it more. It's a handy gift, but useless if every human can see." I looked at Ichi-sama squarely in his eyes. "Had I known I could use it here, I would've protected you that night."

"It's okay Lowemon. Uh, Fen. I'm sorry." I smiled and he giggled. Kouga too.

"What?" I huffed.

"You look silly when you smile. You look like you're snarling at us." Kouga said. Brother started laughing as well.

"You're aware you look the same brother?" I threw his words back at him which made him laugh harder.

"It's over now Ichi-sama. He won't hurt you again." Brother said once he caught his breath.

"And if she brings another like him around, I can protect us." I said. The boy looked relieved.

"Ichi-sama... Not you too Grimm." He said bashfully. Grimm smiled at him. The boys laughed. I joined them this time.

"You have the coolest dogs in the world." Kouga said. The boy smiled at him.

"Kouga, I still don't want to be—" He was interrupted by the front door opening. The boy's mother staggered into sight, her face wet and distressed.

_Is she crying for that man?_ I asked. Brother only grumbled.

She stopped and looked at each of us before continuing to her room. The door slammed.

We all looked at Ichi-sama. He looked very unsure. He made a movement to go after her but Kouga grabbed him, shaking his head. "Don't. What were you saying before?" He asked.

"Oh," He looked in the direction of his mother. "I don't want to stay here tonight."

"Of course you guys can stay with me. Anytime. We're family Ichi."

"Why don't you check your father's things so we can leave." Lobomon said. We walked to his room. He checked each box. Everything was as it should be.

"I'm actually happy about this." Kouga had waited to speak about his new understanding of us till we got back to his house, after we ate dinner and were settled in his room. "I think it'll be nice to have two adults around."

"I know what you mean." Ichi-sama said. "I don't have to be so responsible now. If we have a problem we can ask them for help." Kouga nodded. "But don't expect too much out of Fen. He's like a bad kid." The others chuckled.

"Am I now?" I nibbled on his fingers.

"Yes. Especially now with those little needles." He dropped us to the floor and examined the thin red scratches on his hand.

"I'm sorry, Ichi-sama. My teeth hurt. It felt good to bite." I said.

"You know, you're supposed to smack a puppy with a rolled up newspaper if they start mouthing your hand like that." Kouga eyed me teasingly. I went after his toes, but he hopped away.

"Maybe tomorrow we can go to the store and get some treats. But you guys didn't like the dog food I bought, so I doubt you'd like dog treats."

"Thank you for not forcing us to eat it." Brother said. I nodded in complete agreement.

I trotted further in the room feeling light-hearted and giddy. "I certainly wasn't expecting this outcome. Are you as pleased as I am Grimm?"

"Yes." I heard a shrill yip and skittering behind me. I looked around to see brother charging at me full speed. Tickled, I sprinted away. The boys laughed as I flitted under Kouga's bed, out the other side and circled back. I weaved between Ichi-sama's, then Kouga's feet, keenly aware Lobomon was right behind me.

As fleet-footed as I was, brother was faster. It seemed to hold true even in these puppy forms. Unfortunately in my haste to flee, my feet tangled in a sock that was resting on the floor and I crashed and tumbled. Brother tackled me and latched onto an ear.

I shrieked. Brother staggered back and looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry Lowem—" Brother started. I interrupted with a return tackle. "Oh cheap trick. I knew you were going to do that." He broke loose and scooted away.

"And you still fell for it." I pursued him.

He laughed at my growling. "So scary." Just as I was about to pull him down he doubled back and caught me. We laughed as we tumbled.

We wrestled until I finally pinned Lobomon on his side by sitting on him, no matter how he kicked he couldn't right himself, which I had a good laugh over. Once done, we walked to the bed where both boys had settled to watch us.

"Are you ready to come up?" Ichi-sama asked. We nodded. He placed us in the middle of the bed.

"I can't stop wondering why we saw your trick. Do you think everyone can?" The boy asked.

"I don't. Your landlord was watching us when the _accident_ happened. Yet he didn't even look at us puppies when he came to the door. It'd be strange not to if he had seen what I did."

"Yeah I wouldn't be able to stop looking." Kouga said.

"And he didn't try to get you two away from us, which would have been the next logical step." Brother added. "Remember when we were walking to your house Kouga that first night and you both heard the explosion? We did too. But the other humans didn't seem to hear anything. Maybe there's something different about you boys or since you're related, maybe it's your family that's different."

"That's true. I can sense strength from you both that I hadn't discerned in any other human I've had contact with. Even the adults." I said. _But I did sense something radiating from where that __blast__ came from. __Maybe__ we were wrong before about them not being affiliated with that family. _I said to brother.

_And that could be another reason why Lord Cherubimon wants him so badly__…_Lobomon said."What do you remember about your family?" He asked the boy.

"Papa worked with, actually papa, his brothers and grandpa worked together. I remember because when I grew up I wanted to work with them too. Papa was usually home during the day, but he'd leave after he tucked me in at night. He didn't work every night either, but we always had a lot of money. We lived in a big house and he was always getting me presents."

"That's strange. He kept odd hours for sure. Anything else?" Brother said.

"When I asked what he did, he'd just say he worked for the government, that it was top secret and he'd tell me when I was older. His office was in the government building in Shinjuku. He took me a few times. When I get some money, I want to go there and see if I can find grandpa and papa's brothers."

"Kouga, what about your father?" Brother asked.

"He doesn't know about me. Kaa-san died before telling my grandparents his name, so they didn't know how to find him. I wish I could've known him, but then I might not have been here to help Ichi."

Ichi-sama looked overcome. "Thanks Kouga..."

"You've helped me a lot too. I might not have ever known anything about my dad or the rest of our family if I hadn't met you. When I get older, I'm going to find him." Kouga said.

"How did you boys meet?" I asked.

"It was almost two years ago. He transferred to my school and we met shortly after. We look too much alike not to know we're related." Kouga said. Brother and I nodded.

"Ichi-sama, how are you feeling? Are you in pain?" Brother asked.

"A little. I just feel really sleepy." He reached over and twirled a finger through my fur. I waddled closer to him; he smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"I can't believe just a few hours ago I rode on your back. You're so tiny now." He grinned. "I'm so glad you guys are here. And we met Meiko-san too."

"I can't wait to see her again." Kouga said.

"I know. Me too." Ichi-sama agreed.

I fidgeted. Go to her house… That little terror probably resides with her. "Now boy," I said seriously, "If we'll be spending time at this woman's house, you'd better keep that wicked monster away from me."

"I will Fen. I will." Ichi-sama said, noting my irritation. To their credit, the two children and brother tried very hard not to smile. "Remember how tasty the food was. And she doesn't mind giving you pups some."

"That's true…" I said, watching as he yawned and crawled onto his pillow. He smiled serenely as I nested beside him and his fingers stroked me drowsily until he gave up and his eyes fluttered shut.

I stood and crept halfway up his pillow, staring at him. _I do love you too, very much so._ I licked his forehead and returned to my spot. I saw no mock or sarcasm in brother, who'd been watching, only a pleased smile as he snuggled beside me. My last recollection before slipping away was the mattress dipping as Kouga joined us.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's notes again:<strong>

I know that Jager-Lowemon in the show didn't have fur; I've actually heard him and Kendo-Garurumon called cyborg type digimon. (Whether that's true or not I've no clue.) I've always preferred a more realistically looking animal than one that looks robotic, I loved the wolves in Princess Mononoke for example, so Lobomon's and Lowemon's evolutions will look a bit more like our wolves and lions. Of course they'll still be able to use most of their attacks.

The next chapter we'll skip ahead to just before Ichi's grandma makes her confession. Kouji will briefly be in chapter four; the twins will even come face to face. :3

* * *

><p>Please don't go by me; I don't know Japanese, but this is my understanding of what these words mean.<p>

-san: An honorific attached to show respect or when speaking to someone who is your superior.

-sama: An expression of even higher respect.

-kun: An honorific attached to a male acquaintance's name. I believe it's more intimate if a name is said without an honorific.

Kaa-san: Mom

Tou-san: Dad


End file.
